Life, As It Is Now
by DragonGirl323
Summary: Tifa is restless so she decides to take some time off work and go visit her friends. Along her journey, she's surprised to find that someone has been itching to see her since they separted after Meteor.
1. Life In Wutai

Life, As It Is Now  
By: Jenna Mogavero  
  
Sighing, I put my elbows on the polished wood of the bar and rested my head in my hands. I slowly looked around my new 7th Heaven, reestablished inWutai. Life since Meteor has been nothing but ordinary. Everywhere you go you have a fan or secret admirer.  
  
For me, it's been a hellhole.  
  
After Sephiroth was vanquished and Meteor destroyed everybody separated. I was hoping that Cloud and I could go somewhere together, but instead he left to go find Aeris. I was very hurt when he told me that. He told me he loved me but he didn't love me like he loved Aeris. So, he left. Yuffie didn't have anybody so I decided to go with her back to Wutai. I've always wanted to live in a place like this anyway. Isolated, away from everything.  
  
That was about a year ago. A few months after I had gotten all settled in, word got to me that Cloud had died. Said that he committed suicide by impaling himself with his own sword. Red XIII sent me the article. He shut his sword in between his door so it was sticking straight out. Then he ran into it.  
  
I didn't eat or sleep much after that. At least until Barret visited. He sat me down and gave me the lecture of my life. He told me to put Cloud's death behind me just like I did for Aeris and that's what I did.  
  
So here I am. No family and now my childhood friend is gone as well. If I didn't have Yuffie here with me, I'd probably go crazy.  
  
I looked up at the small clock hanging on the wall above the door. 11:30. Half an hour until closing time. I sighed again as I picked up a washcloth and began to wipe off the bar for the fiftieth time that night.  
  
Gosh, I wonder how Barret and Red XIII are doing? Or even if Cait Sith is still with Reeve in Junon? Or if Cid is still living in Rocket Town? Maybe I should go visit them, but I can't leave Yuffie like this. But maybe I should go. I've been cooped up working in this bar for almost a year and the rest of my staff can take over for me if I wanna leave. That's it! I've made up my mind! I'm going.  
  
Nodding my head I looked up at the clock again.  
  
"Okay, people," I called out to the remaining people in the bar. "Closing time. Finish up your drinks."  
  
I finished cleaning the rest of the glasses that were strewn about the bar then put them away. I walked out from behind the bar and into the kitchen. Krissy and her older brother, Travis were there, preparing food and washing dishes. Krissy saw me and walked over.  
  
"Hey, Teef! Gettin' ready to close up?" she asked, in her cheerful singsong voice.  
  
"Yeah, but there was something I wanted to ask you and Travis. Do you have a minute?"  
  
"Sure," she said, with a wide smile. "Hey, Travis! Come 'ere! Tifa's got something to tell us."  
  
Travis walked up to us and slung his dishtowel over his shoulder. "What's up, Teef?"  
  
"Well, I'm gonna be leaving. I want to go and visit my friends and I wanted to ask you if you could take over for me while I'm gone."  
  
"Sure, we can do that," Travis said. "How long are ya gonna be gone?"  
  
"Well, a month max."  
  
"Yeah, Tifa," Krissy said, looking at her brother then back at me. "We'll take care of things here while you go visit your friends. Don't worry about a thing."  
  
"You guys are lifesavers," I said, walking up and giving both of them a warm hug. "I promise I won't be gone too long."  
  
"Oh, take your time there's no rush," Krissy said, grabbing her purse and turning the lights off in the kitchen.  
  
"You go ahead and go home, Tifa," Travis said, stacking chairs on the tables. "We'll close up tonight."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Of course. You just go home and get ready for your trip," Krissy said, ushering me out the door.  
  
"Thanks, guys! I'll see you later!"  
  
"Bye, Tifa!" Krissy said, before going back inside the bar to help her brother.  
  
I smiled as I walked toward the house that Yuffie and I shared. Once I arrived, I walked around back to where I kept Seraph, my gold chocobo. She was sleeping but woke up the second I walked up to her. She warked happily and searched my hands for greens.  
  
"Sorry, Seraph. I'll give you some greens in a minute. We have to get you ready. We're gonna be leaving tomorrow."  
  
She warked again like she understood and backed up so I could enter her stall. I walked to the back and grabbed her blanket and saddle. I set the blanket down on her back then put the saddle on and strapped it on her. Then put the reigns around her beak. I grabbed a handful of greens out of a bucket and excited her stall. I held my hand out in front of me and fed her the greens then went inside. 


	2. Junon

Yuffie was sitting on the couch watching TV. She looked at me when I walked through the door.  
  
"Hey, Tifa!" she said, getting up and greeting me. "How was work?"  
  
"Slow as usual," I said, sitting down on the couch. Yuffie walked back and sat once more. "Hey, Yuffie. I'm gonna be taking a trip tomorrow."  
  
"Really? Where to?" she asked, changing the channel.  
  
"Oh, just to visit everybody and see how they're doing. I'd like to leave tomorrow."  
  
"Gosh, I really wish I could go with you, but I can't. I'm the mistress of Wutai now that Pops retired so I gotta stay here all the time and train in the Pagoda," Yuffie said, scowling.  
  
"Well, anyways," I said, getting up. "I'm gonna go pack then go to bed. I will see you tomorrow before I leave right?"  
  
"Of course! I'm not taking one step out of this house until you're well on your way."  
  
"Thanks, Yuffie. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
"Night, Teef."  
  
The next morning, Yuffie walked with me outside of town telling me to pass on her 'hi' and 'how are you' to everybody.  
  
"Bye, Tifa!" Yuffie called as she watched me fade into the distance.  
  
I figured I'd swing by Junon then go to Corel and figure out the rest from there. I told Seraph where to go and relaxed, getting lost in my thoughts.  
  
Boy, it sure will be great to see Reeve again. I wonder if he'll even remember me.  
  
I snapped back into reality as I saw Junon appear on the horizon. I steered Seraph over onto dry land and led her into lower Junon.  
  
I rented a small chocobo stall for her then rode the elevator to upper Junon.  
  
I had no clue where to start so I decided to just ask around. I walked into a general store and went up to the counter. An elderly man with a pair of large bifocals over beady eyes looked up at me and smiled.  
  
"What can I do for you, young lady?"  
  
"Do you know a man here named Reeve? We were in AVALANCHE together and I wanted to see how he was doing."  
  
"Of course I know Reeve. He lives on 216 Washington Ave. It's about a block or two away."  
  
"Thank you," I sad, turning around and walking out.  
  
After getting lost a few times I finally found Reeve's house. A large smile found its way onto my face as I saw Cait Sith in the front yard, watering the plants. Cait Sith was sitting on the gigantic mog's head, shouting commands through his megaphone. He saw me and smiled.  
  
"Hey, Tifa!" he said, waving his small gloved hand.  
  
"Hi, Cait," I said, walking up to him.  
  
"How ya been? I haven't seen you in quite a while."  
  
"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm here. I came to visit you and Reeve. Is he here?"  
  
"You bet! He's inside. Come on in," he said, shouting a command to the mog through his megaphone.  
  
He led me inside the living room and turned around.  
  
"Stay right here. I'll find him," he said, before turning around and walking toward a flight of stairs.  
  
"Hey Reeve!" the small cat called through his megaphone.  
  
"What's up Cait?" came Reeve's voice from the kitchen. The mog turned around and Cait put his megaphone away.  
  
"You got a visitor."  
  
"Who is it?" Reeve asked, walking into view with a dishtowel in his hands.  
  
His face immediately brightened when he saw me. He set the dishtowel down on the dinning room table and walked toward me.  
  
"Tifa! How are you?" he asked, giving me a warm hug.  
  
"Not bad. How about you?" I asked him as he stepped away from me.  
  
"Well, I'm hangin' in there. Have you been all right? You know, with Cloud passing away and all?" he asked, looking into my eyes solemnly.  
  
"Well, I won't lie to you," I said, sitting down on the couch. Reeve sat in a chair adjacent to where I was sitting. I took a deep breath before continuing. "It hasn't been easy at all. It's been hard for me to sleep at night and my appetite has disappeared. He was the only one I had left and now that he's gone I'm all alone like I was when I lived in Midgar. But I'm getting by. It's getting easier."  
  
"Well, that's good. I'm glad you're all right. Anyways, enough of the bad stuff. Where have you been living?"  
  
"Wutai, why?"  
  
"Vincent contacted me about a week ago, asking where you were. He said he missed you and wanted to see how you were doing."  
  
Vincent? Why would he want to know how I'm doing? We weren't exactly that close but it seemed like he had a certain fondness for me. He 'misses' me? Wow, there's a first.  
  
"Did he say anything else?" I asked, sort of curious.  
  
"No, not really. When I told him I didn't know where you were he said 'thanks anyways' then hung up. I heard he's been living in the old Shinra Mansion these days."  
  
"Oh," I said, my brow furrowing.  
  
"Well, anyways, do you want to stay here for the night? It's getting pretty late and I don't think you're gonna want to do anymore traveling until tomorrow," Reeve said, getting up.  
  
"Is it okay? I don't want to intrude," I said, getting up.  
  
"No, it's perfectly fine. I have a guest room you can stay in. If you need to you can go ahead and use the shower," he said over his shoulder as he climbed up the steps.  
  
"Thanks, Reeve," I said, as I sat down on the couch again.  
  
I took a shower then went to bed. The next morning Reeve had made breakfast and insisted that I stay and eat something. After a lovely breakfast and my last goodbyes to Reeve and Cait Sith, I went down and fed Seraph before hopping on her back and speeding off towards North Corel. 


	3. Corel and Cosmo Canyon

"Auntie Tifa!" an overly excited Marlene squealed as she wrapped her small arms around one of my legs.  
  
I gently reached down and pried her off then lifted her into my arms. She giggled as she wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed me.  
  
"It's good to see you too, Marlene," I said, as she squeezed the life out of my neck.  
  
"Well, I'll be damned! If it isn't Tifa!" Barret's low baritone said from the front door.  
  
With Marlene still in my arms I walked over to Barret and gave him a warm hug.  
  
"Well, how the hell are ya, Tifa?" he asked me lifting Marlene out of my arms.  
  
"I'm good."  
  
"Are ya gettin' along awright? I mean with the Cloud issue an' all?" he asked, concern in his big brown eyes.  
  
"Yeah, I'm doing better. I'll probably never fully recover from it, but it's getting a little easier."  
  
"Well, that's good," he said, setting Marlene down on the ground. "Do ya need a place to stay? I have an extra guestroom."  
  
"That'd be great, Barret. Oh, and can I put Seraph in one of your chocobo stalls?" I asked, pointing my finger over my back to the gold chocobo that was tied up to Barret's fence.  
  
"Of course. It's right around back," he said, pointing in its direction.  
  
"Thanks, Barret," I said, turning around and untying Seraph from the fence then leading her out back.  
  
After putting Seraph into a stall and feeding her some greens, I went inside and visited with Barret for a while.  
  
"Oh, yeah, Tifa, that Vincent guy called here wonderin' where you were. He said he wanted to talk with ya or somethin'."  
  
"Yeah, Reeve said the same thing. What did you tell him?"  
  
"Well, I never really liked the guy that much so I told him I hadn't seen you since we split. Then he said he'd try Red XIII and hung up. Weird, if ya ask me," Barret said, sitting back in his chair.  
  
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. Why would Vincent suddenly want to contact me? Whenever I talked with him it seemed like we were a bother to him or something. So I figured he just wanted to be left alone so I left him alone.  
  
"Have you talked to Red XIII?" I asked, shocked that Vincent's name had been mentioned to me twice in the last forty-eight hours concerning me.  
  
"Naw, I haven't. Red's busy now because he found another one o' his kind. He did tell you that they're going to have babies, right?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, I guess Red doesn't know where I've been staying. The message was addressed to Yuffie. To tell you the truth, I wasn't surprised. I didn't tell anybody where I was going, well except you Barret."  
  
"Yeah, well, I gotta get Marlene ready for bed. She's got school tomorrow and I don't want her to stay up too late," Barret said, getting up.  
  
"Okay, Barret. Is it alright if I use the shower?" I asked, getting up as well.  
  
"Sure. Feel free. After you leave here, I really want you to visit Red. It sounded like in his last letter that he was having a bit of trouble with Seta. I want ya to, ya know, stay with Red until the babies are born."  
  
"I could do that. It just depends on how long it will be," I said, turning on the light in the bathroom.  
  
Just like the previous night I took a shower then went to bed. I helped Marlene get ready to school and took her there on Seraph. Barret and I shared a cup of coffee then I left.  
  
I arrived in Cosmo Canyon about midday. I rented a chocobo stall for Seraph then entered the canyon. I walked up to Bugenhangen's Observatory and knocked on the door. Red XIII's face appeared in the doorway and a bright smile crossed his animal features.  
  
"Tifa! It's so good to see you! Come in, come in!" he said, pushing the door open wider.  
  
"Thanks, Red," I said, stepping inside.  
  
"Gosh, Tifa, it feels like I haven't seen you in forever. How have you been?"  
  
"I'm getting by. Working at the bar has been keeping me busy."  
  
"Where have you been staying?" he asked, cocking his head to the right.  
  
"Oh, I've been staying in Wutai with Yuffie." I paused. Red opened his mouth to say something but I put mine up and interrupted him. "Don't say it! Vincent called you asking where I was, right?"  
  
"Yes, but how did you know?" A look of confusion crossing his features.  
  
"Well, Barret and Reeve told me. They said that he said he 'misses me' and 'wants to talk with me.' I'm shocked that I would even cross Vincent's mind."  
  
"Yes, it is a mystery to me as well. Anyways, please, come see Seta," he said, getting up and entering his grandfather's observatory.  
  
Seta was lying on a blanket in the back of the room, sleeping.  
  
"Wait right here," Red whispered to me as he walked over to Seta's side.  
  
He gently nudged her with his paw, jarring her from her slumber. She looked around with a sleepy gaze in her eyes before looking at Red.  
  
"What is it?" she asked before yawning.  
  
"One of my friends that was in AVALANCHE with me is here. I want you to meet her."  
  
"Okay," she said, getting up and stretching. "Where is she?"  
  
"Tifa," he called out, motioning for me to come closer. "This is my mate, Seta. Seta, this is Tifa Lockhart."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Tifa," Seta said, walking up to me and smiling.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, Seta. So, tell me, when are they due?" I asked, sitting down on the floor in front of her.  
  
"The doctor told me they were due in a few days, much to Nanaki's excitement," she said, looking back at her mate.  
  
"Do you know how many you're going to have?" I asked, leaning forward.  
  
"Our species usually has five to eight cubs in a litter. Hopefully it'll be the lesser," she said, a slight sparkle in her yellow eyes.  
  
"Well, that's great," I said, getting up and looking at Red XIII. "I going to make the trip to Nibelheim tonight then come back tomorrow. I'm kinda curious about what Vincent wants to talk with me about. Is that okay with you two?" I asked, looking from Red to Seta.  
  
"Of course. Are you sure you want to travel to Nibelheim tonight?" Red XIII asked, padding forward and sitting next to Seta.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. I could always stay in my old house. I'll come back tomorrow alright?" I asked, stepping towards the doorway and looking back at them.  
  
"Sure, see you then," Red said, before I walked out. 


	4. Nibelheim

The trip to Nibelheim took no more then a half an hour. I put Seraph in my dad's old chocobo stable behind my house then walked toward the old mansion.  
  
I pushed open the old door and looked around. There was a chandelier above the staircase that had many brightly lit candles in it. Proof that someone was home.  
  
An idea popped into my head and I walked into the small side room on the left. Stooping down, I picked up the crumpled up piece of paper that Hojo left behind to find Vincent. I set the paper back down and climbed the stairs, heading for the small greenhouse.  
  
I found the chest and looked on the lid. It read 'Right 36.' Smiling to myself I went back down to the first floor and entered the room that the old piano was in. I kneeled down and looked at the floor under the piano. 'Left 10' was scratched into the rotting wood.  
  
I climbed back up the stairs and entered the room that led down into the basement and counted five steps left, nine steps up, two steps left, and six steps up. My foot landed on a squeaky floorboard and as I looked down I saw 'Right 59' written on the floorboard with ink.  
  
Forgetting where I was I jumped into the air and let out a loud 'whoop.' Realizing what I just did, I slapped my hand over my mouth and looked around cautiously. Frowning, I took my hand away from my mouth and looked at it funny.  
  
Why did I do that? Who would hear me in an abandoned mansion? Well, besides Vincent. If he's even here and that's a big IF.  
  
Shrugging, I walked back inside the room and pushed open the stone door that leads down to the basement. I came to the door that leads into the library only to find it locked or sealed shut. Confused, I stepped back kicked it. Sending the rotting wood of the door shattering into a million tiny pieces on the floor. I looked down at it before walking into the library.  
  
It hadn't changed much. The old musty smell of dust and old books still hung in the air. I looked over to the right to find the two mako pods were gone as well as all of the scientific equipment. I shrugged it off as I walked to the back of the library.  
  
I stopped in front of the large desk that, the last time I saw it, had papers and books strewn about it. All the books had been put back and all the papers were stacked in neat piles on its surface.  
  
I was about to turn around and leave the mansion, figuring Vincent wasn't here when I felt someone behind me. It wasn't like I knew someone was there, it just felt like there was a presence besides me in the room. Figuring I was just imagining things I turned around and slammed into a red and black wall. I shrieked in surprise and jumped back, throwing my fists up in a defensive position.  
  
I about had a heart attack when I saw that it was Vincent. My jaw dropped along with my hands as I looked at him.  
  
"Vincent! Why didn't you tell me you were there?!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air for emphasis. "You just about made me jump through the roof!"  
  
He cocked an eyebrow and stared at me in silence. I tried to make out some kind of response or emotion by looking at his eyes but without being able to see his mouth over his cape it turned out to be a lost cause.  
  
Then as if someone flipped a switch, he turned around and began leaving the library. I stood there with a look of confusion in my eyes before I jogged up to catch him.  
  
"Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where are you going?" I asked, having to power walk just to keep up with him.  
  
"You're going to need a place to stay for the night," he said, neither acknowledging I was behind him or looking me in the eye. "You can stay in one of my guest rooms."  
  
"Whoa, whoa! What happened to the wanting to talk with me?" I asked, stopping. This is when he stopped. He looked back at me like he didn't have a clue to what I said. Then he nodded his head.  
  
"Yes, your are correct. I wanted to talk with you about many things, but now that you are here I don't really know what I wanted to say," he said, before walking off again.  
  
Me, I just stood frozen in place. What he said reminded me about the time when Cloud told everybody to go find what they were fighting for. Cloud told me the same thing that Vincent just told me. Even though he's been dead for almost a year, it still hurts to think about him and what we could have had. But thinking back on it, it would have been too good to be true if it did happen. I never really saw myself as Cloud Strife's wife or girlfriend because I knew that even I couldn't get someone like Cloud. In my opinion, yes, it would have hurt me immensely if by some chance Aeris lived and her and Cloud got together but I would be happy even though I wasn't with him. Sometimes I think that I'll never find someone.  
  
I sighed as I followed Vincent up the rotting steps that led back up into the mansion. Once I reentered the East Wing, I found him off to my right, making the bed. I was quite surprised on what he did with this place. He cleaned the place up and it looked pretty damn good. Much better then what I could have done.  
  
Trying to make conversation with the King of Quiet, I walked up behind him and watched him as he worked. I thought for a second on what to say as an idea popped into my mind.  
  
"I really love what you've done with the place," I said, turning around and inspecting the room. "It looks a lot better then what it did a year ago."  
  
I looked back at him, expecting an answer only to find myself talking to his back. It was like he didn't even know I was there, which I thought was extremely rude. But then again, I never pictured Vincent as someone that does all the talking. He's just one of those people that are better at listening then anything else. Just like Aeris was, but she always had some kind words after you got finished spilling your soul to her.  
  
Having finished his work, he backed up off the bed and left the room. I followed him out and into the West Wing where he went into another room that was very eloquently furnished. He walked over to the bed and began fixing his as well.  
  
"Well, uh, Vincent, if you don't mind I'm gonna go feed Seraph then grab myself a bite to eat. But you don't have to make a bed for me. I could stay in my old house."  
  
"Why would you want to do that?" he asked, straightening up and looking me in the eye.  
  
Shocked that he actually replied to one of my comments, I froze before continuing.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't want to feel like I'm intruding," I said, putting my hands behind my back and tapping the toe of my left boot on the floor.  
  
He cocked an eyebrow at my statement, seemingly wanting me to explain myself a little farther.  
  
"Well, you know how you like quiet and your privacy and all, I just thought that I'd leave you to it," I said, ending lamely.  
  
Vincent stifled a small chuckle. He walked toward me and crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"You're not intruding at all. I would be very . . .uh, happy if you stayed here tonight. Food isn't a problem either. I have enough food in this house to feed all of AVALANCHE and their family members and still have leftovers. Go ahead and go feed your chocobo and by the time you get back I'll have something made for you."  
  
I smiled as I looked into his eyes. I nodded and tucked some stray strands of hair back behind my ear.  
  
"I'd love that."  
  
He nodded as he walked by me and disappeared. I stood stationary before walking out of the mansion and toward my old home.  
  
Seraph acknowledged my presence by warking happily and flapping her short, flightless wings. I entered her stall and took off the reins, saddle and blanket then filled the two troughs in the back of the stall with water and greens. She walked over and began to eat while I put down some fresh hay for her to sleep on. I patted her on the head a few times before exciting her stall. I began to walk back to the mansion when it crossed my mind that Vincent probably wouldn't be ready yet, so I walked around the front of my house and entered.  
  
I flipped the light on in the living room and looked around. Last time I was here, all I did was play my piano to get my Level 4 Limit Break. I walked over to the fireplace mantel and looked at all the pictures that adorned it. All of them were there, even the ones that my mom took as she watched me train with Zangan. The Shinra employees may have been able to restore the town, but I can't figure out how these pictures are here. I turned the lights off and left my house. I began to walk back to the mansion before something occurred to me once again. I reopened the door and reached my hand around the door knob and locked it. I didn't want anybody else besides me in this house because they'd probably throw everything of mine away and I didn't want that. I'm the only one who has a key to the house anyway, unless someone breaks in.  
  
I, once again, began walking back toward the mansion, convinced that nothing else would stop me. I almost fell over when I entered. The smell of Fettuccine Alfredo filled the air as I walked around the house following the smell. I walked into the piano room and found that Vincent had set a table up in front of the large window in the back and had put a small candelabra in the middle of the table.  
  
My jaw dropped as I looked over at the old piano where Vincent was seated. He didn't notice me because his eyes were trained down at the ivory keys as he swept his fingers along their surface. I covered my mouth with my hand and let out a small cough. He looked up from the piano and his face immediately brightened as he walked towards me. He opened his mouth to say something but I held my hand up and stopped him.  
  
"You really didn't have to make a pasta dinner for two, you know," I said, looking from him to the table in the back.  
  
"I feel obligated to," he responded, looking deeply into my eyes. "You are a guest in my house."  
  
He reached out his human hand and I sheepishly took it as he led me to the table. He went around to the left side and pulled the chair away from the table as he motioned for me to sit. I sat down and scooted myself closer to the table.  
  
My goodness, Vincent is such a gentlemen! Why didn't I get to know him sooner? He's treating me like royalty and he hardly knows me.  
  
He walked around to the other side of the table and turned around as he messed with something on his shirt. My eyes widened as I figured out what he was doing. He was taking his cape off. Vincent Valentine was taking his cape off. He draped it across the back of his chair as he turned around and sat down.  
  
That's when I looked away.  
  
Oh my God! He's gorgeous! Why didn't I ever notice this before!? Just calm down, Lockhart. He's probably never taken his cape off in front of other people so this may be a big step for him. Just be cool, confident.  
  
I looked back at him to find him staring at me with one eyebrow raised. I pursed my lips as my cheeks flushed a deep red.  
  
"Anyway, thank you for making this. It's my favorite dish," I said, smiling sheepishly.  
  
"That is why I made it. It is my favorite also. Go ahead, eat," he said, pointing to my fork.  
  
I slowly picked up my fork and began eating. Vincent is an extremely good cook; I'll give him that. What does he do? Take cooking lessons?  
  
I was so engrossed in my thoughts and concentrating on looking at my plate that I didn't notice Vincent had stopped eating. I swallowed my last bite and looked up at him. He was staring at me. Feeling very self-conscious of myself I picked up my napkin and wiped my mouth.  
  
"So, how do you like it?"  
  
"It's very good. I didn't know you were such a good cook. You could teach me a thing or two," I said, smiling.  
  
He set his fork down next to his plate and leaned back. He began scanning the room with his blood red eyes like he was searching for something.  
  
"So, Tifa, what brings you here?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of his muscular chest.  
  
I looked away from him and down at my plate. "Well, for the past year I've been living in Wutai with Yuffie."  
  
I looked up at him to try and find some response to my whereabouts. The only response I got was an eyebrow raise. So, I continued.  
  
"Anyways, I opened a bar and hired a few hands to help me. Everything was great, until word got to me that Cloud died." I stopped and looked down at my hands, feeling hot tears begin to well behind my eyes. I closed my eyes and wiped them with the back of my hand before continuing. "He impaled himself through chest with his sword. It was hard the first few months. I never even got to say goodbye."  
  
That's when the tears came. I tried to hold them back but they flowed from my eyes like a geyser. Not being able to handle Vincent watching me cry I got up from the table and turned my back to him.  
  
I heard Vincent get up from the table. I half-expected him to leave the room because I didn't see him as the kind of person that would comfort someone when they were crying.  
  
I almost jumped when he stopped behind me. My brain was telling me to turn around but I stayed just as I was with my arms at my sides, shoulders slumped. I cringed slightly as I felt the cold metal of his claw rest on my shoulder followed by his human hand. He began tugging at my shoulders, coaxing me to turn around.  
  
That's all I needed.  
  
I whirled around and threw my arms around his neck, burying my face into the cloth of his shirt. I felt him stiffen up underneath me but I really didn't care. If he didn't want me hanging on him he shouldn't have tried to comfort me because when I cry I get clingy. Ask Yuffie she'll tell you.  
  
After a few moments he loosened up and wrapped his arms around me. That's when I couldn't take it anymore. It reminded me too much of when Cloud would hold me. I squirmed out of Vincent's grasp I began to walk out of the room before I stopped and looked back at him. A confused and extremely hurt look was on his face. Looking at him then to the table we were sitting at only a few minutes before I spoke between sobs.  
  
"I'm really sorry, Vincent," I said, choking out the words. "I just can't take it anymore. Thank you for the lovely dinner. It was delicious. I'm going to go to bed. Good night." 


	5. Extravagent Dinner for Two

I stumbled out of the room and up the stairs. When I reached my room I shut the door and collapsed on the bed. I cried for a while before I walked over to the small backpack I had brought with me and dug out a small white spaghetti strap shirt and a black pair of cloth shorts. I donned them and tucked myself under my sheets.  
  
What seemed like a few minutes later, I woke up. I looked over at the small electric clock that sat on my bedside table. The small red letters read 3:02. I rolled over and tried to fall back to sleep but try as I might I couldn't fall asleep.  
  
Sighing, I got up and walked over to my bag, taking a clean pair of black ankle socks out of it. I put them on then wandered my way down to the kitchen. I grabbed a glass out of one of the cupboards then went to the fridge. The light blinded me but I managed to find the milk jug. Grabbing it I poured some milk into my glass then put the milk back inside the fridge.  
  
I walked to the front door and opened it as I quietly as I could then slipped out into the cool of the night. I walked to the gate and stopped. I looked out at the town. Not one light was on. The only lights that could be seen were the moon and the stars. Their light shone down and made the town sort of glow.  
  
I took a small sip of my milk and looked down at the ground.  
  
Maybe I shouldn't have run out on Vincent like that. I know it brings back bad memories but that probably hurt him in the worst way possible. He may be a tough guy but he's really sensitive on the inside because of what Hojo did to him. Maybe I should go apologize but I probably shouldn't wake him up.  
  
"What are you doing out here?" Came the familiar voice of Vincent. I chuckled to myself as I finished the rest of the milk in my glass.  
  
"I don't sleep so well anymore. Sometimes I don't sleep at all," I said, still not turning around to look at him, scared of what I would or wouldn't see in his eyes.  
  
"Whom are you going to visit next?" he asked, his voice anxious.  
  
I tapped the side of the glass with my fingernail, making a tinking sound. I lazily ran my hand through my long, dark hair before turning around. I raised my eyebrows as I saw Vincent standing in the doorway in just his boxers.  
  
"I'm going back to Cosmo Canyon tomorrow late afternoon. Because Red's mate is going to have cubs I want to stay there until they're born. Then after that, I'll go see how Cid and Shera are doing then, maybe, I'll go to the Golden Saucer. I'll mess around in there for a little while then I'll go back to Wuati and continue working at the bar until the day I die, most likely," I said, looking down at the ground before looking back up at Vincent.  
  
"Tifa?" he asked, wringing his hands, looking very nervous.  
  
My eyebrows raised in shock. I never thought I would see the day when Vincent Valentine looked nervous. Yet, here I am, standing in front of him, witnessing it.  
  
I nodded my head. "Go on."  
  
He slowly walked forward and took my right hand, the one that wasn't holding my glass, and looked into my eyes. I recognized a flicker of something in his eyes but I couldn't quite place what it was. I was taken aback. I had never seen Vincent act like this before.  
  
"What's wrong, Vincent?" I asked, my brow furrowing and concern written on my face.  
  
He looked away from me and in this order; he looked down at the ground, to the left, to the right and back at me. He bit his bottom lip before speaking.  
  
"Tifa, I wish to go with you when you leave." Short, sweet and to the point.  
  
My eyebrows shot up at Vincent's statement. He isn't serious, is he? I opened my mouth to ask the dreaded 'why?' but he raised his left hand and put the index finger of his claw on my mouth.  
  
"Because I want to be near you." I raised my eyebrows in shock at this. "Yes, I've missed you and yes, there are so many things I want to talk with about. After we separated, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Please, allow me to go with you."  
  
Translation: I'm lonely and I don't want to be alone anymore.  
  
I know that feeling.  
  
He removed his finger from my mouth so I could speak again. But the thing is, I couldn't speak. Not even Cloud had been this open to me about his feelings. No one has, ever.  
  
Vincent must have taken my silence the wrong way because he began to turn around and walk back into the mansion. I reached out and grabbed his human hand. He looked back at me with hurt clearly floating in his crimson eyes.  
  
"You can come with me if you want," I said, walking towards him so instead of being behind him I was in front of him. "It's just that, what you said. No one's been that open to me before. It kind of shocked me."  
  
He looked at me like he didn't believe me before he nodded his head and walked back inside. I followed suite and went back to bed. 


	6. Leaving Nibelheim

The next morning I woke up rather early. I figured I'd just go take a shower in my house. So, I grabbed my bag and tiptoed out of the house. I walked over to where I put Seraph and made sure she was in plain sight so Vincent wouldn't think I left without him. Then I unlocked the front door and took a quick shower and washed all my dirty clothes.  
  
Having finished my shower, I locked the house back up then went around back and set my backpack down inside Seraph's stable. I pet her for a little while then returned to the mansion.  
  
I walked up the stairs and over to the West Wing where Vincent's room was. I peeked inside his room to find that Vincent was still in bed. I looked over at the clock that was on his bedside table. Well, duh, it was only 7:00. But I thought of Vincent as one of those early riser people.  
  
I walked over to the side of his bed and looked at him while he slept.  
  
Gosh, he's so adorable! I never really noticed how handsome he was when we were in AVALANCHE together. Well, you learn something new everyday, I guess,  
  
I reached a hand over and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of his face. He twitched slightly then opened his eyes. He stared at me for a few seconds like he didn't know who I was before he stuck his face into his comforter and yawned.  
  
"I'm sorry," I said, kneeling down in front of him. "Did I wake you up too soon?"  
  
He wiped the sleep from his eyes and looked at me with a sleepy gaze that was still present. He shook his head as he stretched. I got up and backed up a few steps.  
  
"No." He ripped the blankets off of him and got out of his warm bed. He began to walk out of the room, more then likely to get dressed before he turned back and looked at me. "Do you need anything? Shower? Breakfast?"  
  
"No, I took a shower over at my old house. I needed to do some laundry anyway. I might go grab myself a bite to eat while you get ready."  
  
He nodded his head as he left the room and left me to wander the place. I left his room and found my way to the kitchen once again. I found a box of dry cereal and made myself a bowl. I sat down at his table and slowly proceeded to eat my meal.  
  
I finished all the cereal in the bowl and put it in the sink after washing it out. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and found a jug of orange juice next to the milk. I poured myself a glass and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
I stopped at the base of the stairs. The water was running. Vincent was taking a shower. I stifled a small yawn before going back to the guest room I slept in and made the bed. Then I sat down on the bed and quietly enjoyed my orange juice, waiting for Vincent to get out of the shower.  
  
I jumped as my PHS started ringing in my pocket. I set my glass down and fished it out, looking at the caller id. It was Red. A look of excitement flew onto my face as I opened it.  
  
"What's up, Red?" I asked, trying to play dumb.  
  
"Tifa! You must hurry back to Cosmo Canyon!" Red exclaimed, his voice full of excitement. "Seta had the cubs last night!"  
  
"Oh, Red, I'm so happy for you! How many?" I asked, my excitement starting to leak through.  
  
"Five. Three boys and two girls. If you hurry up you can help name them!"  
  
"Oh, Red, that would wonderful! I'm on my way!"  
  
"Did you find Vincent?" he asked me, taking on a more serious tone.  
  
"Yes, I did, as a matter of fact. He's going to be coming with me. Is that alright?"  
  
"Of course. The more the merrier! I will await your arrival." "Okay, Red. See you in a bit!" I said, hanging up the PHS.  
  
Once I put the PHS back in my pocket, I couldn't hold my excitement in and I began jumping up and down. I stopped as I heard someone clear their throat. I looked over and found Vincent standing in my doorway, dressed in his usual all black, with an amused look on his face.  
  
"What was that about?" he asked, chuckling slightly.  
  
"Red and Seta had their cubs! Just because I'm excited doesn't mean I've gone nuts!" I said, crossing my arms over my chest and looking away from him.  
  
"I never said you were," he stated a matter of factly.  
  
"Well, anyways, he wants us to get over there ASAP. Do you have a chocobo?"  
  
"Yes, it's out back."  
  
"Okay, well, I'll go get mine then I'll meet you, okay?" I asked, looking into his dark red irises.  
  
"Of course."  
  
I nodded then left the mansion and grabbed Seraph from her stable. I walked around behind the mansion and found Vincent feeding a black chocobo. I stopped next to him and inspected the black chocobo.  
  
Wow, his chocobo is beautiful. I've never seen one so dark before.  
  
Vincent straightened up and looked at me. He looked back at his chocobo and patted it's head before entered his stall and putting the saddle on its back.  
  
"What's its name?" I asked, watching him.  
  
"Dakota."  
  
"That's a nice name."  
  
Vincent stepped out of the stall with Dakota. I turned Seraph around and walked to the front of town then hopped onto her back. Vincent stopped next to me and nodded. I spurred Seraph forward toward Cosmo Canyon with Vincent riding silently behind me.

* * *

A/N: Well, hope you guys like it. I'll try to update whenever I feel I have enough for a decent chapter. Until then review and I'll determine from how many reviews I get how fast I'll update. Toodles!


	7. Cute Little Fuzz Balls

Disclaimer: Hi all! Thank you to all of you who reviewed my story! You don't know how inspiring it is to actually know that people like reading your stories. Oh, and Emri if you're reading this I'm not getting annoyed with you at all. Thank you for reviewing everybody! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please send a review my way once you're done! Please and thank you!

* * *

We arrived at Cosmo Canyon about an hour or so later. The only reason I made the trip in the half the time the other night was because I took advantage of Seraph's speed. On the way back I just let her trot.  
  
I put Seraph in a chocobo stall and Vincent did the same. We walked together up to Red's Observatory. I knocked on the door as lightly as I possibly could so I wouldn't wake the cubs. Red's muzzle poked out of the door. A wide smile spread ear to ear on his face as he quietly ushered us in.  
  
"Oh, Red!" I exclaimed as quietly as I could, getting down on my knees and hugging him. "When were they born?"  
  
"Surprisingly, a few hours after you left. I was going to call you and tell you but I thought against it. Come, come see them!" he said, getting up and leading us into the observatory. Seta way lying on the blanket in the back staring down at five red fuzz balls that were cuddled up next to her. She looked up at us and smiled, beckoning us over to her.  
  
I carefully walked over to her and looked down at the cubs with a gleeful look in my eyes. I kneeled down in front of her and looked at them. I looked up into her sparkling yellow eyes and pointed to one of the cubs.  
  
"May I?" I asked, a hopeful look in my wine colored eyes.  
  
"Of course," she said, nudging one of the cubs with her nose. "Here, take Seto."  
  
"Oh, you already named them?" I asked, kind of disappointed as I carefully scooped the small cub into my arms and cradled it.  
  
Seto opened his little eyes at the unfamiliar touch and looked at me, cocking his little head slightly. He meowed a little as he reached up his little paw to touch my face. I giggled as I took his paw in between my thumb and index finger and gently squeezed it before letting it go.  
  
"Well, this is Seto," I said, sitting down cross-legged and settling him into my lap. "Um, what are the other's names?" "The two little girls names are Nariko and Naava and the three little boys names are Seto, Nova and Kayo."  
  
"Those are beautiful names," I said, looking down at little Seto and tickling his stomach. I laughed as he put all four legs against my finger and try to bite it. I lifted my finger from his stomach and he began to bat at it with his paws.  
  
I looked up at Seta and she had a genuine smile on her face. She looked at Red and spoke.  
  
"Should we tell her what we decided to do?" she asked.  
  
He nodded and came and sat next to Seta. Red looked at me with a serious look in his eye as he looked down at Seta once more.  
  
"Seta and I decided this morning before you came that after the cubs are a few months old we want you to take two of them and keep them with you in Wutai for a little while."  
  
I looked at Red and Seta in shock. Then I spoke my voice a little shaky.  
  
"No, I couldn't do that. I couldn't take a mother's children away from her," I said, looking at Seta.  
  
"Nanaki and I would be honored if you took two of our cubs. It would help us in the best way possible. When the time comes you may take any two cubs that you want."  
  
"But, why?" I asked, still very confused. "Why would you want me to take two of your children?"  
  
"It's not really 'taking,'" Red said, looking at me with an understanding look in his eye. "It's more like watching over them. I've read numerous books on our kind's history and when our kind mates and has cubs they would give two of their cubs to another family in their tribe to watch over and we picked you to watch over two of our cubs."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I'm not sure if I could. Are you sure?" I asked again.  
  
"Positive," Seta said, looking at me with a smile on her face.  
  
"How long would I keep them? Not too long hopefully." "Oh no. You would keep them for about nine months then return them to us. Sending two of our own with you is like sending them on their first adventure. After you brought them back they would tell us of what they did when they were staying with you."  
  
"Oh, so it's sort of like preparing them?"  
  
"Some what, yes. Will you?" Red asked, looking into my eyes.  
  
"Of course, I'd be honored to. Yuffie probably would too. Hold on, let me call her real quick," I said, pulling my PHS out of my pocket and dialing Yuffie's number.  
  
It rang a few times before Yuffie finally picked hers up. "Teef? That you?"  
  
"Yep, sure is, Yuffie. What's up?" I asked, putting my hand down on the small cub's stomach and tickling it with my nails. Seto let a small squeak as he batted at my fingers.  
  
"Not much. I just got finished with training for the day. What about you? How's everything going?"  
  
"Just great. Reeve, Barret, Marlene and Red pass on their 'hellos.' You know Yuffie, I might stay here in Cosmo Canyon for a few months so I may need to make a trip to Wutai to pick up a few things and tell Krissy and Travis what I'm doing."  
  
"Why are you staying so long? I thought you were coming back in a few weeks."  
  
"Yeah, I thought so too but certain circumstances were brought to my attention."  
  
"Like what?" Yuffie asked, getting impatient.  
  
"Red and Seta had their cubs," I said, stopping and pulling the PHS away from my ear to prevent my eardrum from blowing out.  
  
"Oh, Tifa, really!? Maybe I should come back with you so I can see them!"  
  
"Well, you really don't need to do that because I'm bringing two home with me."  
  
"What?! What do you mean?!" Yuffie screamed into the receiver.  
  
"Red told me that it's an old tradition when their kind has cubs to give two of them to another family or someone that they deem worthy and they picked me. We're gonna be livin' with two red fuzz balls for nine months."  
  
"Oh, I can't wait to see them! How long until you can bring them here to Wutai?" Yuffie asked, excitedly.  
  
"When they're about four months. By then they'll be old enough to separate from Seta so I can take them. I might come by Wutai in a few days and get a few extra pairs of clothes. Is that alright?"  
  
"Sure. I'll be here."  
  
"Thanks, Yuffie," I said, closing the PHS and putting it back in my pocket.  
  
"So I take it the very loud, high-pitched scream we heard coming from the other end that there was no hesitation in taking our cubs in."  
  
"No, there certainly was not," I said, looking down at Seto and twirling my finger around in front of him.  
  
"Which ones will you take?" Red asked, stepping back so I could see all the cubs.  
  
"Well, how 'bout . . ." I creased my brow in thought as I looked at the four other small cubs. "Well, where's Nariko?"  
  
Seta looked at the cubs and sniffed them each individually before stopping on one.  
  
"This one, right here."  
  
I nodded as I leaned forward and carefully grabbed the girl and set her in my lap with Seto. Having seen one of her brothers, Nariko let out a small meow as she sniffed Seto. Nariko looked up at me and cocked her head just like Seto did before lying down in my lap.  
  
I smiled as I reached down and patted her head a few times before looking back up at Seta and Red.  
  
"I'll take Nariko and Seto. Is that alright?"  
  
"Absolutely fine," Seta said, smiling at me. "Both Red and I are overjoyed. Thank you so much, Tifa."  
  
"Oh, it's no trouble. They're so cute! How could I possible say no?" I said, as I looked down at them and pet them. I looked back up at Seta as I carefully picked up the cubs and set them back before her.  
  
The two cubs waddled over on shaky legs and lay down next to their mother. Seta looked down at them and sniffed them one more time before laying her head down between her paws.  
  
I got up and followed Red back into the living room but not before stealing another glance at Seta and her cubs.  
  
Vincent and I sat down on a small couch as Red sat in front of us. I crossed my left leg over my right as I lazily ran a hand through my long hair. Red looked at both Vincent and I before he spoke.  
  
"So, Vincent, I didn't get a chance to talk with you earlier? How have you been?" he asked, cocking his head slightly to the right.  
  
"Not bad," he said in his usual monotone.  
  
"Well, that's good. Oh, if you don't mind my asking, Vincent, did you get to talk with Tifa?"  
  
I looked over at Vincent. He swallowed as he looked down at his hands.  
  
"I'm getting to it," he said, looking over at me.  
  
I smiled at him and I swore I saw a certain sparkle flash through his blood red orbs but I thought better as I reached my left hand up and rubbed my eyes, thinking that my eyes were playing tricks on me.  
  
I looked back at Red as I spoke. "Well, anyway, Red, I'm probably going to go to Wutai really quick tomorrow. Tell Krissy and Travis I'll be gone much longer then I expected and get a few more things from my house. Is it okay if Vincent stays with you?"  
  
"Of course it is alright. He is welcome here anytime," he said, smiling in Vincent's direction. All Vincent did was nod and look away, finding the bookshelf very interesting. An awkward silence fell over the three of us. After a few moments of me looking around the room nervously I stood up from the couch and looked at Red.  
  
"Is there a place for us to sleep?" I asked Red, pointing back at Vincent who was still sitting on the couch with his hands on his knees. "I'd like to get an early start tomorrow."  
  
"Of course. There's a bed and a couch upstairs. If you need anything, please, come get me," Red said, turning and walking into the Observatory.  
  
"Well," I said, looking back at Vincent nervously. "Shall we?"  
  
He nodded and got up. I walked over to the wooden ladder and slowly began to climb up it. I heard Vincent start up after me. I sighed with relief as I stepped off the ladder and took a few steps inside the room.  
  
In one corner of the room there was a small bed that could comfortably fit two people and in the other corner was a neutral colored couch. Vincent walked out from behind me and immediately walked to the couch. After taking his cape off and throwing it on one arm of the couch, he laid down.  
  
I looked away from Vincent and over to the bed. I walked over to it and sat down. I unlaced my boots and slipped them off my feet. I looked down at the floor, looking for my bag. Then a thought came over me.  
  
I left it downstairs. Nuts.  
  
I walked over to the ladder and made my way back down it, ignoring the confused glance I got from Vincent. After stepping off the ladder I walked over to the couch we were sitting in ten minutes ago and picked up the tan backpack that was sitting next to it.  
  
After retrieving the item, I made my way back to the ladder and put my back against it. I looked up and chucked my bag up onto the second floor then climbed up. I grabbed my bag after stepping off the ladder then looked up at Vincent. He had one eyebrow raised and his mouth was in a straight line.  
  
Ignoring his penetrating stare, I walked back over to the bed and sat back down. I unzipped my bag and began to dig through its contents for the item I sought. Pulling out my hairbrush, I began to run it through my long hair then grabbed a hair tie off the handle and wound my hair into a tight bun. I looked over at Vincent as I put my brush back in my bag and set it on the floor next to my boots. I tucked my feet under me as I looked over at Vincent. He was still looking at me with one eyebrow raised.  
  
"So, uh, you wanna . . . . talk?" I asked, tugging at the fabric of the comforter underneath me. "What are some of the things you wanted to talk with me about?"  
  
He seemed to ponder what I said for a few moments before shaking his head and turning over so he was facing the couch.  
  
"Not now," he said, waving a hand in the air. "Maybe we can talk after you get back from Wutai."  
  
"Um, okay," I said, getting under the blankets and switching off the light.  
  
The next morning, I got up about 6:30. After taking a quick shower and packing all my things I left Cosmo Canyon and heading to Wutai.  
  
Once I arrived at Wutai, I immediately went to my bar and checked on Krissy and Travis. They thought I was back but when I told them I'd be staying in Cosmo Canyon for a few months they didn't seem to object. They just told me to enjoy myself.  
  
After saying goodbye to Krissy and Travis I went to the house Yuffie and I shared. When I entered I thought she was gone, that is until she came bolting out of the kitchen and pounced on me.  
  
I told Yuffie about what I had done so far then went to my room and packed some more clothes. I spent the rest of the late morning and early afternoon shopping with Yuffie. I bought some new clothes with the rest of my traveling money and put them in my bag.  
  
Once we returned for the mall, I went around back and put Seraph's saddle back on. I was feeding her when Yuffie came around back with a mischievous look in her eye.  
  
"So, did you get to talk with Vincent?"  
  
I turned and furrowed my brow. I had told Yuffie about Vincent while we were shopping. It didn't look like she was very curious at first but it probably caught up with her.  
  
"Well," I said, putting my hand on Seraph's beak. "Sort of. He said he had a lot of things to tell me, but he hasn't come up and straight out 'talked' with me since I found him. Maybe he just doesn't know what to say?" I said, turning back around and leading Seraph out of her stall.  
  
"I don't know," she said, following me out of town. "Still sounds like the old Vince to me."  
  
"Maybe," I said, stopping. "Well, I'll keep you posted. Maybe I can take a picture of Nariko and Seto and send it to you."  
  
"Oh, Teef! That would be great! I'll see you soon!"  
  
'Right," I said, jumping on Seraph's back and spurring her towards Cosmo Canyon. 


	8. Nova's Secret Information

Disclaimer: Oh, thank you everyone for all the reviews! It's so inspiring! Well, here's chapter eight! Hee Hee. In this chapter things start to get a little bit warmer between Vincent and Tifa. Please let me know if the OOCness gets out of hand. I'll fix it immediately. Until then read, review and be happy!

* * *

I arrived at Cosmo Canyon at about seven in the evening. I tried talking to Vincent but he had a far away look in his eyes and didn't answer me.  
  
I spent the majority of the four months with Seta, helping take care of the cubs and letting Nariko and Seto get used to me.  
  
Then, one night, a few days before I was leaving for Wutai, I was sitting in front of the Cosmo Candle, playing with Nariko and Seto when Vincent came and grabbed me by the hand and lead me to one corner of the canyon.  
  
The cubs ran after me of course and followed Vincent and I. When he stopped and turned around I almost gasped. He had a look of desperation in his eyes that I thought was totally un-Vincent like.  
  
"Vincent?" I asked, looking into his eyes with concern flooding mine. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I cannot deny my feelings for any longer, Tifa. I tried to tell myself that it would only lead to you being hurt, but I cannot deny it. When we separated after Meteor, it felt like a part of me had died. I longed to see you with ever fiber of my being but I didn't know where you had gone. When you came to Nibelheim that day, I felt nothing but joy over seeing you again. I should have been more open with you and I shouldn't have made you talk about Cloud. I didn't know it would upset you that much. I'm sorry."  
  
He bowed his head, allowing his long hair to cover his eyes. I was taken aback. I never thought in a thousand years that Vincent would spill his soul to me like that. Nariko and Seto were rubbing against my legs and meowing, asking to be picked up. I bent down and picked up the small cubs in my arms and squeezed them lightly. They purred as they licked my face and snuggled into my arms.  
  
I looked up at Vincent to see him looking at me with moist eyes. Then, he did something EXTREMELY un-Vincent like and kissed me. Yes, you heard right. Vincent Valentine kissed me.  
  
I was so surprised at first that I almost pulled back but instead I relaxed and let him gather me into his arms. I would have wrapped my arms around his neck if I didn't have the cubs in them. He deepened the kiss slightly before pulling back.  
  
"If you wish to talk more I will be up in the Observatory," he said, walking past me and disappearing.  
  
I was shocked. I gently brought one hand up and pinched my cheek to make sure that that hadn't been a dream. Then, two small voices jarred me from my quiet revere.  
  
"Auntie Tifa, what's wrong?" Young Seto said, putting his small paw gently on my face.  
  
"Yeah, what's wrong, Auntie Tifa?" Little Nariko said, copying her brother.  
  
I looked down at them and smiled. "Nothings, wrong. Wanna go play some more?"  
  
"Yeah!" They both said in unison as I set them back down on the ground.  
  
I followed them back to the Cosmo Candle and giggled as they played 'pounce' with each other. I sat back down on the red clay colored dirt and watched them roll around. Every so often they would run over to me and jump into my lap then jump back out and race around the fire.  
  
After about twenty minutes of watching them play they came and crawled into my lap, falling asleep as soon as they did so. I carefully picked them up in my arms and carried them back up into the Observatory where Seta was watching the other cubs play. Naava ran up to me, requesting to play with her sister, but when she saw that she was sleeping she went back to playing with Nova and Kayo.  
  
I laid the cubs next to Seta and quietly left the Observatory. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the tap.  
  
I walked out of the kitchen and gingerly sat down on the couch, staring at nothing in particular. In a few days, I was leaving to go back to Wutai with Nariko and Seto and somewhat continue my way of life. I didn't know what Vincent was going to do. Maybe he'd go back to his life in Nibelheim and forget all about me. But how could he do that when he confessed his heart to me a half an hour ago? Some things in life just don't make sense and this is one of those things.  
  
"Tifa?"  
  
I jumped slightly as I looked up at Vincent. I smiled sweetly as I got up from the couch and stood in front of him.  
  
"What's up?" I asked, maybe, a little too cheerful.  
  
His face seemed to grow serious as he looked away from me. He looked back at me a few moments later and took a deep breath.  
  
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to be leaving for Nibelheim when you go back to Wutai."  
  
My brow furrowed as I looked into his eyes, trying to register what he said. I lowered my head and looked at my glass of water.  
  
"Okay," I said, looking back up at him. "Will you be alright?"  
  
He seemed to ponder this for a bit before answering.  
  
"Yes, I will be fine."  
  
I nodded and smiled as I finished the rest of my water and looked at the clock. It was almost 10:30 and I was spent. I stretched my arms above my head and climbed the ladder up to the second floor and collapsed on the bed.  
  
Just imagine. I'll be taking Nariko and Seto home with me for nine months! Yuffie'll probably go nutty and baby them. Red even told me not to coddle them. If we do they'll grow up to depend on others for survival. I'll have to tell Yuffie that ahead of time.  
  
I sighed as I rolled onto my back and looked at the ceiling.  
  
I wonder what Vincent will do when he has me out of his hair? He'll probably go back to the same routine before I stumbled along. But there was that kiss thing. I don't know what to think about it. Yes, I think he feels strongly for me but I really don't think I could call it love just yet. And it was hard just to figure out that one piece of information. Vincent's like a safe. You gotta have the right combination to open him up and I don't got it.  
  
I looked over at the ladder just as Vincent appeared and stepped off. He looked at me before walking over to the couch, taking his cape off, lying down and staring at the ceiling.  
  
I yawned then put both of my hands behind my head, crossing my feet right over left and swung the right one in the air. I wasn't ready to turn in just yet.  
  
"Tifa?"  
  
I looked over at Vincent to find that he had propped himself up on his elbow and was looking at me intently.  
  
"Hm?" I said, raising my eyebrows.  
  
"I was just thinking. Did you believe anything I told you today?" he asked, with a little hope in his voice.  
  
"Well, it depends," I said, getting up into a sitting position.  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"Well, I've come to the conclusion that you've either felt obligated to have these feelings for me or that they're genuine. I believe neither."  
  
"Why is that?" he asked, with confusion present in his voice.  
  
"Because. No one, not even Cloud, has been that straight forward with me. Especially when they have feelings for me. I just find it too good to be true."  
  
A look of realization came over his face as he looked away from me. He nodded before getting up from the couch and coming to sit next to me on the bed. He looked into my eyes seriously as he spoke.  
  
"I meant every word of it, but I know you could never have feelings for something such as I. I came to realize that long ago. Way before I told you. I just wanted you to know that Cloud wasn't the only who cared about you."  
  
For the second time that day, I was at a loss for words. Vincent had struck a chord yet again. He began to lean forward to kiss me but a small voice from the bottom of the stairwell made me back away from him.  
  
I went to the edge and looked over it. Little Nova was standing at the bottom of the stairwell with his front paws on one of the spokes. He had a frightened look in his yellow eyes.  
  
"What's wrong, Nova?" I asked him, concern filling my voice.  
  
"I had a bad dream," he said in his tiny voice. "I didn't want to wake Mommy or Daddy. Can I sleep with you?"  
  
"Of course. Hold on," I said, swinging my legs over the side and descending the ladder.  
  
As soon as my feet hit the floor Nova's front paws were on my shins. I reached down and collected him into my arms as I began to climb back up. I walked over to the bed that Vincent was still sitting on and he made room for me to sit down.  
  
Nova smiled at Vincent as I set him in my lap.  
  
"Hi, Unca Vincent!" he said, in his squeaky little voice.  
  
"Uh, hello," Vincent said, not sure how to greet the tiny creature.  
  
"Are you gonna sleep with Auntie Tifa too?" he asked, cocking his head to the left slightly.  
  
He chuckled lightly as he looked up at me and smiled. All I did was smile back and look down at Nova. Vincent shook his head.  
  
"No, I let Tifa have the bed. I sleep on the couch," he said, pointing to it.  
  
"Oh," he said, looking at it. "Well, that's good cause I want to sleep with Auntie Tifa!" He exclaimed happily as he turned around and seemed to hug my abdomen.  
  
I smiled as I picked him up and held him at eye level. He giggled slightly as he put both of his tiny paws on my face.  
  
"You're just too cute!" I said, putting my nose on his.  
  
"Yeah, I know," he said, licking my face.  
  
"Well," Vincent said, getting up from the bed. "I'm going to turn in."  
  
"To what?" I asked, joking around with him.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at my statement that wiped the silly smile clean off my face. I put Nova down on the bed and got up to stand in front of him.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, his eyebrow still raised.  
  
"It's supposed to be a joke. You know, cause you said you were gonna 'turn in.' Well, 'to what?'"  
  
My guess would be that he didn't get it because his expression didn't change. I sighed as I picked Nova up and pulled back the sheets. I looked at Vincent as an idea came into my head. I silently whispered something into Nova's ear and carried him over to Vincent. I held him up to Vincent who took him reluctantly.  
  
He cradled him gently in his muscular arms as he looked at me questionably then looked down at Nova.  
  
"Loosen up, Unca Vincent."  
  
Bingo. That did the trick. Immediately after I had Nova say that he busted up laughing. I jumped back and looked at him like he had lost his mind. Then he handed Nova over to me as he turned around and collected himself.  
  
"I am sorry for that outburst," he said, turning back around apparently back in 'macho' mode. "That was very unorthodox of me."  
  
"No kidding," I said, still looking at him with a surprised look still on my face.  
  
"Well, today has been a trying day and I wish to get some sleep. I will see you in the morning," he said as he turned around and laid back down on the couch. I nodded to myself as I climbed into bed with Nova. After I turned the lights out Nova tapped me with his paw.  
  
"After Unca Vincent falls asleep I want to tell you something," he said, quietly enough so only my ears would hear it.  
  
"Okay," I said, as I pretended to fall asleep.  
  
A few minutes later Nova tapped me with his paw yet again and silently announced that Vincent had fallen asleep.  
  
"Are you sure?" I asked, making sure I wasn't too loud.  
  
"Yep. Positive."  
  
"Okay, so what did you want to tell me?"  
  
"Well, earlier today before you got back with Nariko and Seto, Vincent came in and me, Naava and Kayo asked him if he likes you," he said, keeping his voice hush-hush.  
  
I stifled a small laugh as Nova continued.  
  
"Then he told us how beautiful you were and that he didn't want you to leave and go back to Wutai and that . . ." he paused as I saw his small yellow eyes look over my shoulder to confirm that Vincent was sleeping. ". . .and that he loves you."  
  
My jaw fell open when Nova spoke those three words. I tried to act like it didn't affect me in the least until Nova asked me the one question that I dreaded he would ask.  
  
"Do you love him, Auntie Tifa?"  
  
I stayed silent for a few moments, wondering what I should say. Yes, Vincent is very attractive and very sweet to me but I'm not sure if I could love him back. I'm not sure if I'm capable of loving anymore.  
  
"I . . . uh, I don't know just yet. I'm not sure if I can," I ended, hoping Vincent was still in Dreamland.  
  
"Oh," Nova said, kind of disappointed as he snuggled up against my chest and went to sleep.  
  
Little did I know that Vincent was still wide-awake. 


	9. Falling

Disclaimer: Okay, here's the next chapter. Thank you everybody for all the lovely reviews! I love all of you! This chapter isn't very long so I hope you like it! I'll get the next chapter up in a few days. Until then!

* * *

The next morning I woke up to find Nova still asleep in my arms. Looking over my shoulder to the clock sitting on the bedside I almost jumped. It was almost noon. I looked over at the couch where Vincent was sleeping to find him gone.  
  
I looked down at Nova as I carefully picked him up and placed him on my chest. His sleepy yellow eyes opened and he looked around.  
  
"Morning, cutie!" I said, scratching his ears.  
  
"Morning," he said, yawning. "I wanna go see Momma."  
  
"Okay, come on."  
  
I picked him up and threw back the covers then made my way downstairs. Vincent and Red were sitting at the table talking. Red turned his head and smiled at me. I walked over to him and placed Nova down on the table in front of him.  
  
"I was wondering where you went. Were you sleeping with Tifa?" he asked, licking his son's little face.  
  
"Uh-huh. I had a bad dream so I went and slept with Auntie Tifa."  
  
"That's fine. Did you have fun?"  
  
"Yeah, Auntie Tifa's bed is really soft," Nova said, a smile crawling onto his little face.  
  
"Well, you better go see you mother. She's been wondering where you ran off to."  
  
"Okay," he said, hopping off the table and running into the Observatory room.  
  
I sighed as I sat down next to Red. He looked at me with a concerned look on his face.  
  
"What's wrong, Tifa?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking what it will be like when I go back home. Taking care of the cubs and all," I said, lazily running a hand through my hair.  
  
"Do not worry. Nariko and Seto adore you. They actually think that you're a part of our little family. You'll do just fine," Red said, giving me a reassuring smile.  
  
"Yeah, you're right."  
  
I got up from the table and was getting ready to go get a change of clothes and take a shower when five little voices erupted from the Observatory room.  
  
"Auntie Tifa!" All five cubs shouted as they raced out of the Observatory and ran towards me.  
  
I laughed as I sat down on the floor and let them crawl all over me. Kayo climbed up onto my head and began to play with my hair while Naava, Seto, Nova and Nariko raced around me.  
  
I grabbed Seto just as he was about to pass me and began to tickle him. He shook with laughter as he tried to pry himself from my grasp.  
  
I let him go and he began to play 'pounce' with Naava.  
  
Nariko ran up to me and put her front paws on my knee.  
  
"Hey, Auntie Tifa! Let's go outside and play!"  
  
"Hold on really quick while I go put my shoes on."  
  
The cubs nodded as they all sat down and watched as I ascended the ladder. I came down a few moments later with my boots on and my hair brushed neatly with my usual red hair tie at the bottom.  
  
"Alright, come on!" I said, walking around them and signaling them to follow.  
  
The cubs cheered as they followed me out the door. They began to chase each other in circles as they rolled around in the clay colored sand. I leaned against the side of the house and watched them.  
  
The door opened and Vincent walked out. He looked at the cubs before coming to stand next to me. I looked over at him with a smile on my face that vanished when I looked at him. His mouth was turned downwards in a sort of scowl and his eyes seemed much darker then they usually were.  
  
"I need to speak with you," he said, not looking at me.  
  
"Um," I said, looking over at the cubs then back at him. "Alright?"  
  
He began to lead me back inside the house but not before I took one last look at the cubs. I gasped as I stopped. Nova and Kayo were rolling around on the ground and getting desperately close to the stairwell that led you back down into Cosmo Canyon proper.  
  
I broke away from Vincent as I ran towards Nova and Kayo. I dove for them and shoved them out of the way before they fell down the stairwell causing me to fall down instead. I fell down through the stairwell and landed square on my back. I let out a cry of pain as I got the air knocked out of me.  
  
I began heaving and coughing trying to get some air back into my lungs. I heard the cubs screaming 'help!' from above. Then I heard someone climbing down the ladder and landing next to me. I stopped coughing just long enough to make out the figure beside me.  
  
"Vincent . . ." I said, reaching my arms up to him.  
  
He kneeled down and gently wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up. He sat down on the ground and put me against his chest. I grabbed Vincent's pants as I desperately fought to get air back in my lungs. My breathing was still coming out in labored gasps and I was starting to get lightheaded.  
  
"Tifa, listen to me. You're going to have to breathe with me," he said, pressing his hand against my stomach so my back was up against his chest. "Feel my breathing. Feel my chest moving up and down. Breathe with me."  
  
I closed my eyes and began to breathe with Vincent. I coughed a few more times before I my grip on Vincent's pant legs lessened and I feel asleep. 


	10. Confession, With A Little Ceremony

Disclaimer: Okay, just like the chapter heading says, Vincent and Tifa confess practically everything to each other. If Vincent is OOC please let me know so I can go fix it. I don't want to offend anybody!! Anywho, tell me how you like it after you read it!

* * *

What seemed like hours later, I woke up in my bed. I looked around and found that Nova and Kayo were lying in bed with me. I smiled as I moved my hand patted them both on the head.  
  
Their eyes opened and their heads shot up. Upon seeing me awake they got up and jumped onto my chest making me flinch.  
  
"Auntie Tifa!" They exclaimed, licking my face.  
  
"We're so sorry, Auntie Tifa! Are you okay?" Nova said, his yellow eyes filled with concern.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. How about you two? Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, we're fine," Kayo said, blinking. "Unca Vincent was really worried about you though. He left after he put you in bed."  
  
"How long ago was that?"  
  
"Um, maybe an hour or two?" Kayo said, looking at his brother.  
  
"Yeah," Nova said, nodding.  
  
"Did he say where he was going?"  
  
"No, he just . . . left," Nova said, shrugging his small shoulders.  
  
"I have to go find him," I said, picking up the two small cubs and setting them on the floor. I looked around for my boots and found them next to the bedside table. I grabbed them and slipped them on.  
  
I grabbed Nova and Kayo from their place on the floor and carefully made my way downstairs. I put the cubs down and left the Observatory. I stopped at the stairwell that I fell down and thought.  
  
Now, if I were Vincent Valentine where would I go? A bar? Well, you gotta start somewhere.  
  
I flung my legs over the side and climbed down the long, wooden ladder. After reaching the bottom I made my way over to the Starlet pub.  
  
It was full as usual. I walked around looking and asking about Vincent but no one said they saw him. Not about to give up, I looked at all the dark corners trying to find a glint of red cape but couldn't find any such thing.  
  
Defeated, I walked out of the bar and over to the Cosmo Candle. I stood and watched the flame for a bit before walking out of the canyon and over to the chocobo stables.  
  
I grabbed a handful of greens from a bucket that was hanging from the door and fed them to Seraph. I leaned on the door as I pet Seraph. I sighed as I began to talk to her.  
  
"Have you seen Vincent around here?" I asked her running my fingers through her golden feathers. "I hope he hasn't left yet. I want to thank him for helping me. Gosh, Seraph, I'm so blind. I can tell Vincent loves me. He's done so many nice things for me and I haven't paid him back in the least. Everyone told me what a good person I was when we were in AVALANCHE, but I don't feel like a good person at all."  
  
"I think you're a good person, Tifa."  
  
I spun around and saw Vincent standing a few paces away from me. I looked down at the ground then looked back up and leaned against the stable door.  
  
"What makes you think that?" I asked, sweeping some loose strands of hair behind my shoulder.  
  
He didn't answer right away. He clenched his fists and looked away from me for a few moments.  
  
"Because you were the only one that thought about me when no one else would," he said, looking back at me, his jaw clenched.  
  
I brought my right hand up and ran it lazily through my hair. I opened my mouth to say something then shut it, realizing that what I was going to say wasn't the right thing. I sighed as I rubbed my eyes.  
  
"It's just that . . . . . since Cloud ran out on me to look for a dead girl, I just shut myself off from the world. I acted fine most of the time but, inside, I was fighting a battle for my sanity. Then when Cloud committed suicide, I almost went over the edge. He was the only one in the world that I had left and he killed himself. You know, I never even got to say goodbye," I said, covering my mouth as fresh tears built up behind my eyes. I closed my eyes and held them back. "After that I swore to myself that I would never love another man for as long as I lived because I didn't want a repeat of Cloud. Yes, I loved him and yes, I about lost it when he died. Hell, I'm loosing it right now! But the point is, Vincent, I'm not sure if I could love you back the way you love me. When Cloud died he took a piece of my soul with him and I can't get it back. No matter how much I try to put his death behind me it just hasn't worked. Barret told me to, Yuffie told me to, and even Cid told me to!"  
  
I stopped and covered my face with my hands as I slid down the door of the stable to the ground.  
  
"I just don't know what to do anymore," I said, trying to keep the tears from flowing out of my eyes.  
  
I heard Vincent walk over and kneel down on the ground next to me. He grabbed my chin with his right hand and made me look at him.  
  
"Tifa, I'm not Cloud. I may have loved Lucrecia deeply but I had to except that she's dead and I can't get her back. Cloud never learned that and he wasted his life. He never realized how much you loved him and he missed out. You're a wonderful person, Tifa," he said, looking into my eyes compassionately. "Whenever you enter a room, it gets brighter. You're beautiful and Cloud couldn't see exactly how beautiful you really are."  
  
I smiled slightly before I got up. The smile disappeared as I walked forward a few paces.  
  
"No, that was Aeris," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and grabbing my shoulders. "Whenever she entered a room it was like she was a magnet. Everyone wanted to talk with her. I even heard a little girl ask her if she was an angel. Well, if Aeris is an angel then what am I? Some kind of friggen Demonic figure?"  
  
Vincent walked around in front of me and put his hands on my waist, pulling me closer to him.  
  
"No," he said, shaking his head. "You're not the Demonic figure. I am. I'm the one that has four other creatures living inside me. Not you. When I saw you the first time, when you, Cloud and Aeris woke me up, I thought you were the angel. When you tried to talk with me after I joined you, I didn't want to talk with you because a creature as beautiful as you would never find anything appealing in a monster such as I. I realized how wrong I was," he said, lifting my chin up with his index finger. "I realize that I may sound foolish but it's the truth."  
  
I backed away from him and looked down at the ground.  
  
"No one tells the truth anymore. Then no one can hurt you," I said, my voice flat.  
  
"Tifa," he said, walking up to me and cupping my face with his hands. "I would never hurt you. I would rather die a horrible death than even consider it. Cloud may have hurt you and left you with nothing but like I said, he missed out on something wonderful. Don't believe other wise."  
  
I smiled at him genuinely. Something I didn't do too often anymore. I looked into his dark red eyes and sighed.  
  
"I don't know what to say. I guess all I can say right now is thank you for all you've done. Letting me stay in your home, fixing me dinner, helping me when I was laboring for breath. Maybe someday when it doesn't hurt so much that I could tell you how much I love you. But not right now. I can understand if you don't want to wait for me," I said, looking away from him, sadness over taking me.  
  
"Tifa," he said, turning my head back so I was looking at him again. "I'll wait as long as it takes. Time does not hold me in its grip any longer."  
  
"That's because of what Hojo did to you. I'm not like that. I'll grow old and die and you'll be left here. You'll have to watch Cid and Barret and Reeve and Yuffie and even Red die and you'll be here, watching the world go by. That's the only thing that holds me back. It's because one day you'll be all alone again and it kills me to think about it."  
  
Silence. I expected Vincent to walk away and go find another dark corner to sit and think in, but he did the total opposite. He stood there, a few paces away from me, and waited while I collected myself.  
  
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand then looked up at him but quickly turned my head to the left and covered my mouth as I coughed a few times. I looked back at him and walked back into the canyon and back to the Observatory.  
  
Red was sitting on the floor watching Nariko and Seto when we walked in. He looked up and smiled at us.  
  
"Oh, Tifa, Yuffie just called on your PHS," he said, turning back toward the table and grabbing the device carefully in his mouth and handing it to me.  
  
"Really? When?" I asked, flipping it open.  
  
"About five minutes ago. I told her that you'd call back."  
  
"Thanks, Red," I said, turning around and walking back out the Observatory.  
  
I dialed Yuffie's number and she picked up on the first ring.  
  
"What's up, Yuffe?"  
  
"Oh, I just thought I'd call you and ask when you'll be getting back tomorrow."  
  
I walked forward a few steps and thought.  
  
"You know Yuffie, I'll probably go visit Cid then come home. Is that okay?" I asked, hoping it would be.  
  
"Yeah, sure. But hurry up! I really want to see Nariko and Seto!"  
  
"Don't worry, Yuf. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Okay, Tifa. See ya."  
  
I shut the PHS and turned around. Vincent was leaning against the door jam, arms crossed.  
  
"You're going to see Cid?"  
  
"Yeah, he'd be really angry with me if I forgot to come see him." I paused. "Um, are you still going back to Nibelheim tomorrow?"  
  
He lowered his head and his silky ebony hair fell down in front of his face. He straightened and scratched an unknown itch on his neck before answering.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh," I said, sort of disappointed.  
  
Whoa! Whoa! Wait a second, Lockheart! Why are you so disappointed that he's going to leave and go back to his own home? Yes, you both feel strongly for each other but it's not like he'll follow you were ever you go.  
  
I quieted the voice in my head and walked past Vincent back inside the Observatory. Red was sitting in the same spot that he was when I walked in earlier, Nariko and Seto still sitting in front of him.  
  
Seto saw me and dashed towards me, jumping up on my legs. I laughed as I picked him up. He threw his small paws around my neck and hugged me as best as he could. Nariko ran over and sat down, looking at me with big eyes, requesting to be picked up also. She licked my face and nuzzled herself into my neck. I smiled as I squeezed both of them and walked toward Red.  
  
"They are very excited about going with tomorrow, Tifa," Red said, glowing. "Will you be going straight to Wutai or will you go somewhere else?"  
  
"Well, because I didn't go visit Cid I thought I'd go there then go to Wutai. Is that alright?" I asked, putting the cubs down on the floor.  
  
"Of course. And do not worry about Nariko or Seto falling off your chocobo. Our kind, even at this young age, has extremely good balance. Just make sure they don't move around too much," Red said, smiling down at the two red cubs at my feet.  
  
"Oh, Red, I have a great idea," I said, looking at him with a wide smile. "Because you won't see them for nine months, Yuffie told me that she just a bought a new digital video camera so we can tape the cubs then send you the tape."  
  
"That's a wonderful idea. Seta will be pleased."  
  
"How will I be pleased, Nanaki?" Seta asked, walking out of the Observatory room followed by the three other cubs.  
  
"Tifa said that she's going to video tape Nariko and Seto and send us the tape."  
  
Seta nodded her approval and walked up to me. I kneeled down in front of her so I was looking her in the eye.  
  
"I trust you with them, Tifa. And they trust you. You're like a part of our family. Take good care of them," she said, sitting down and lifting up her right paw. I gently took it in my hand and leaned forward to give Seta a hug.  
  
"They're in good hands. Me and Yuffie won't let them out of our sight," I said, letting go of her paw.  
  
Seta nodded once again before walking back to Red and sitting beside him.  
  
"We'll be holding a small ceremony for Nariko and Seto tonight in front of the Cosmo Candle," Red said, looking at me.  
  
"Like a going away party?"  
  
"Some what. We'll just be announcing that they've come of age and that they're going to go live with you. We'll announce you and we want you to come stand next to us," Seta said, taking over for Red.  
  
"Oh, okay. Well, I'll go get ready," I said, walking past them. I stopped and looked back. "Is what I'm wearing fine?"  
  
"Of course. You don't need to dress up," Red said, smiling at me.  
  
I smiled back before climbing up the ladder. I walked over to my bag and dug my hairbrush out of it. After taking out the hair tie I slowly began to brush what I could reach. A voice behind me made me jump slightly. I whirled around causing my hair to cascade down my shoulders. Vincent was standing behind me.  
  
"Do you need any help with that?" he asked, pointing to my brush.  
  
"Uh." I looked down at my brush then back at him. Why not? "Sure."  
  
I handed him the brush then sat down on the small coffee table. He slowly dragged the brush through my long hair being careful not to go too fast.  
  
I smiled in spite of myself. He's being so kind to me. Well, I guess he's returning the favor, maybe.  
  
He finished and handed the brush back to me. I stood up and pointed to the coffee table.  
  
"My turn."  
  
Vincent looked at me with wide eyes for a few seconds before sitting down. I walked around behind him and took out the red bandana that he wore in his hair and set it behind him.  
  
I slowly began to run the brush through his hair being careful of tangles. I reached out my left hand and put it on the side of his head while I brushed out a few knots. I almost pulled my hand back out of surprise. For a man his hair was extremely soft. Shaking that thought out of my head I continued to brush his hair until I was satisfied. Then I put the brush back down on the table, handed his bandana to him and watched while he put it back in his hair.  
  
I smiled and walked back over to the bed and put my hair tie back and turned around to face him.  
  
"Now when is that ceremony thing starting?" I asked, walking toward Vincent.  
  
"Red and Seta left with Nariko and Seto a little while ago. They want us to come down when we're ready."  
  
I took a deep breath and pushed up on my upper arms like I was pushing up sleeves and walked toward the ladder. I waited for Vincent at the bottom then we walked out of the Observatory and made out way down to the Cosmo Candle.  
  
When we arrived, Red signaled us over to sit behind him, Seta and the two cubs. Red quieted the crowd by getting up and walking forward a few steps. He looked around at the crowd for a bit before speaking.  
  
"Thank you all for coming. Seta and I have waited for this day. Some of you may have heard that little Nariko and Seto will be leaving tomorrow, but with whom?" He smiled as he looked back at me. I nodded and told him I was ready. "I would like to introduce to you, Tifa Lockheart."  
  
The crowd erupted into cheers as I got up and stood next to Red. The cubs walked up to me and sat at my feet. I kneeled down and picked both of them up before Red continued.  
  
"She will be taking Nariko and Seto with her to live in Wutai for nine months. Why did we choose this individual, you ask? Tifa is a part of my family and I felt it only right that I give her the opportunity to share in both my cub's lives. All five of my cubs love Tifa with all their heart and they even asked if all of them could go live with her. But tradition says that only two may go with another family or individual. We know that she will take care of them and love them unconditionally. Seta and I have already agreed that if we choose to have more cubs, Tifa will be the one we turn to. Again thank you all for coming," Red said, before turning around and walking back to Seta.  
  
I turned around as well and walked back to Vincent with both cubs still in my arms. I sat down next to him and Nariko jumped into Vincent's lap. She put her little paws on his chest and looked into his eyes. "Hi, Unca Vincent! Are you coming with Auntie Tifa to Wutee?"  
  
I bit my bottom lip as Vincent looked over at me with regret in his blood red eyes. Oh, how I wish he would. He looked away from me as he picked up Nariko in his strong arms and cradled her.  
  
"No," he said, shaking his head causing his dark ebony hair to fall in front of his face. "I'll be returning to Nibelheim tomorrow when you and Tifa go to Wutai."  
  
Nariko's eyes became sad when Vincent said that he wasn't coming. It looked as if she might say something more but instead she wriggled out of his grasp and jumped back into my lap. I looked up at him with concern filling my eyes.  
  
"Are you gonna be okay?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
He seemed to ponder my question before nodding.  
  
"I will be . . . fine."  
  
I nodded my understanding and looked over at Red. He came padding up to Vincent and I and sat down.  
  
"As of right now, the cubs are yours until nine months are up," he said, a smile in his voice. "Both Seta and I trust you with them. We'll see you and Vincent off in the morning."  
  
I nodded and watched Red and Seta walk up to the Observatory together. The cubs hopped out of my lap and began chasing each other around the Cosmo Candle. I smiled then looked over at Vincent. He had a far away look in his red eyes.  
  
I looked away from him and straightened my black skirt before getting up. I rounded up Nariko and Seto and stopped in front of Vincent with the cubs in my arms.  
  
"Hey, Vince, you wanna go back up to the Observatory now?"  
  
He looked up at me before getting up as well. He nodded his head and we walked back up to the Observatory together.


	11. Visiting An Old Friend

Disclaimer: Oh, thank you everyone for all the reviews! Especially **Ezri-Candy** and **Emri**! Both of you are such an inspiration to me! Oh, and Emri, I got the cub's names off of a baby name website. Nariko is Japenese, Nova and Kayo, I believe are either Arabic or Hebrew. I forget what Naava is. And thank you everybody who reviewed! You guys have no clue how inspiring it is to check your email and find a bunch of reviews. It's like Christmas! I hope you like this chapter! And to all of you who don't want Vincent to leave Tifa, well, I have a plan! So don't come and chase me down the street with an aluminum baseball bat if you don't like it! You'll like it better when I post chapter 12! But until then I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

The next morning Vincent woke me up about seven. I put on fresh clothes and brushed all the tangles out of my hair. I slung my bag over my shoulder and picked up the cubs then followed Vincent down to the chocobo stables.  
  
When we arrived Red was already there and both of our chocobos were fed and ready to go. Red told Nariko and Seto to stay close to Yuffie or me at all times and not to move around too much while we were riding on the chocobo. An idea popped into my head as I grabbed my bag from its place on Seraph's saddle. I unzipped it and placed both cubs inside then made sure it wouldn't fall off while I was riding.  
  
"Thanks again, Red. I'll take good care of them."  
  
"I know you will. Have fun," he said, before Vincent and I spurred our chocobos towards Nibelheim.  
  
We arrived in Nibelheim late morning. After getting the cubs a drink of water from Vincent's house I went back outside and got ready for my journey to Rocket Town. Vincent was still out back, tending to Dakota. Before getting on my mount I walked up to him.  
  
"You sure you're gonna be okay?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay," I said, getting up on my tiptoes and giving Vincent a hug. "If you need me for anything just give me call. I'll miss you."  
  
I backed away from him and he nodded. He patted my forearm a few times before speaking.  
  
"I will miss you also. It was nice to spend time with you Tifa."  
  
I smiled before I said my last goodbyes to Vincent and sped away from Nibelheim.  
  
The trip through the Nibel Mountains was uneventful. By the time we arrived at Rocket down if was mid afternoon. I found a place to put Seraph and grabbed the cubs from my bag.  
  
"Follow me you two," I told them, setting them down on the ground. "We're going to see a friend before we go to Wutai."  
  
They nodded and followed me through town until we arrived at Cid and Shera's place. I knocked on the door a few times then stepped back. Cid came to the door a few moments later. He had an agitated look on his face but it was replaced with a wide smile when he saw me.  
  
"Well, hot damn! Tifa! How ya been?" he asked, stepping aside so I could come in.  
  
"Great! How are you?" I said, looking behind me making sure the cubs were still there.  
  
"Where'd ya find these little rascals?" Cid asked, kneeling down and picking up Seto.  
  
"They're two of Red and Seta's children," I said, picking up Nariko and stepping inside.  
  
Cid shut the door with his foot and sat down in a chair in the living room. He set Seto down on the table and looked him over.  
  
"Yeah, I heard that Red had kids but I didn't think they'd be this big already."  
  
"They're only about four and a half months. They'll be over a year old when I give them back to Seta and Red."  
  
Cid looked up at me with a confused look on his face.  
  
"Wha' do ya mean?"  
  
"It's a long story. But Red and Seta are letting me keep them for nine months. It's sort of a preparing thing."  
  
"Oh," Cid said, looking back at Seto. "Well, what's your name little guy?"  
  
"Seto."  
  
"Whoa, he can talk already!?" Cid exclaimed, jumping back in his seat.  
  
"They started talking at about three months," I said, setting Nariko down next to her brother.  
  
"Hi," Nariko said, walking towards Cid. "I'm Nariko."  
  
"I'm Cid," he said, shaking Seto and Nariko's small paws.  
  
"Can we call you 'Unca Cid?'" Nariko asked, her yellow eyes bright.  
  
"Sure," Cid said, shrugging his shoulders.  
  
"Well, anyways," I said, taking a seat next to Cid. "Where's Shera?"  
  
"She had to run a few errands. She'll be back soon."  
  
"You probably already heard this from everybody else but-"  
  
"Vincent called you," I said, cutting him off.  
  
"Yeah, he did. Did you find him?"  
  
"Yeah, Reeve told me where he was. He was living in Nibelheim but he came back with me to Cosmo Canyon and stayed there while I waited for the cubs to get older."  
  
"Well, I could kinda tell that Vince had a crush on you," Cid said, leaning back and running hand through his messy blonde hair. "I would always catch him looking at you like you were the last thing on the Planet. He'd only do it when he was sure no one was lookin'. Boy, was he wrong!"  
  
"He never caught you?" I asked, leaning forward a little bit.  
  
"Nope," Cid said, shaking his head with a wide grin on his face. "I would always have my nose stuck in a magazine when we weren't on the ground so whenever he was lookin' at ya I would always catch 'im. I actually got as far as taking a picture of him when I caught him in the act."  
  
"You took a picture of him?" I asked, surprised. "And he didn't catch you?"  
  
"Naw. I bought one of them digital cameras at a general store somewhere. I turned the flash off and took a picture of him. I lost the camera, though, after we fought Sephiroth. Too bad. I would have printed that out too."  
  
I smiled as I looked over at the clock. 3:30. If I didn't leave soon I wouldn't be back at Wutai until nightfall. So I got up from the table and grabbed Nariko and Seto.  
  
"Well, I've really got to be going. Tell Shera I said hi."  
  
"Are ya sure?" Cid said, getting up and following me to the door. "You can stay here for the night."  
  
"Well, I promised Yuffie that I would be back tonight. I really wish I could stay longer though."  
  
"Yeah, me too," Cid said, following me outside. "It feels like I haven't see ya in ages."  
  
"But I'll drop a line every now and then. It was great getting to see you, Cid," I said, walking forward so he could give me a hug.  
  
"Yeah, it was great seeing you too. Take care now."  
  
"Alright. Bye, Cid!" I said, turning around and walking toward the chocobo corral where I put Serpah.  
  
I laid the cubs back in my bag and took off for Wutai.  
  
I arrived early evening. After putting Seraph away I walked inside our house and began unpacking my things.  
  
Nariko and Seto sat on my bed and watched me as I walked back and forth.  
  
"Where's Auntie Yuffie?" Nariko asked, scratching her ear.  
  
"Yeah, we wanna meet her!" Seto exclaimed, standing up on all fours.  
  
"I'm not sure if she's home yet," I said, resting a hand on the top of my dresser. "She's probably still training."  
  
Then the silence around me was shattered by a deafening scream from the front room.  
  
"TIFA!!!! You're home!!!" Yuffie screamed as she ran into my room. Upon seeing the cubs she squealed with delight and ran over to them. "Oh, they're so cute!"  
  
She hoisted them up into her arms and squeezed them.  
  
"Calm down, Yuffie!" I exclaimed, laughing at her reaction. "They're cubs not plush toys."  
  
"Of course they are!" She said, setting the cubs back down on the bed.  
  
"You must be Auntie Yuffie!" Nariko said, looking at Yuffie with a smile on her face.  
  
"Yeah, I'm Seto!" he said, sitting up and putting a paw on his chest. He looked at Nariko and pointed at her. "This is my sister, Nariko!"  
  
"Those are such cute names! What are the names of the other three cubs? Yuffie asked, looking at me.  
  
"Naava, Nova and Kayo."  
  
"Those are adorable too!" Yuffie said, hugging herself. "I'm gonna go make dinner now. What do you think the cubs eat?"  
  
"Red said it was okay to give them whatever we eat but just to make sure we don't give them a lot of junk. But for right now lets stick with meat. Do we have any?"  
  
"Yeah, I bought some today. I'm gonna make stir fry."  
  
"That sounds great, Yuffie. Make sure to cook extra meat then," I said, gathering the cubs into my arms and following Yuffie into the kitchen.  
  
"Will do," Yuffie said, getting everything out.  
  
After dinner Yuffie and I watched a little bit of TV while the cubs snoozed on my lap. Every so often they would look up at me and ask to go to bed. So, after saying good night to Yuffe, the cubs and I went to bed.


	12. Winter Wonderland

Disclaimer: Oh, thank you all for the nice reviews! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Oh and Ezri-Candy? Don't worry! There's VincentTifa action comin' up! Please! Don't hurt me! Well, anywho, I hope you guys like this chapter! I'll get the next one up really soon!  
  
Oh, yeah. I'm in the midst of writing another VincentTifa that popped into my head all of a sudden. I'll post it when I have enough material for a chapter. It's called Of Light And Dark. You'll just have to figure out what it's about when I post it, but don't worry! It'll be up by the end of the week more then likely! You'll just have to be patient! Anyways, enough of my banter and on with the story!

* * *

After I arrived back in Wutai, I returned to my normal cycle of life. I worked at the bar, played with the cubs and I also thought about Vincent a lot. I was thinking about calling him or going and visiting him but he was probably glad now that I was gone.  
  
After the cubs turned seven months old Yuffie and I taped them then sent the tape to Cosmo Canyon for Seta and Red. We got a letter from Red a week later. He told us that he was proud of us and also proud of the cubs as well. Him and Seta were very happy.  
  
A few weeks after the cubs turned eight months old Yuffie and I decided to take a small vacation to Icicle Inn with the cubs. I told Krissy and Travis to go somewhere for a small winter vacation and closed the bar for a few weeks.  
  
I was out back getting Yuffie's chocobo and mine ready for the trip when Nariko and Seto came running towards me.  
  
"Hey, guys!" I said, turning to look over my shoulder. "Whatcha up to?"  
  
"We're excited!" Nariko said, jumping onto her back legs. "We get to see snow!"  
  
"Yeah, I can't wait!" Seto said, jumping onto his sister sending them both crashing into the ground.  
  
"Well, we'll be leaving in a little while. Go see if Aunt Yuffie needs any help with anything."  
  
"Okay," Seto said, getting up and running off followed closely by Nariko.  
  
I smiled and led Seraph and Yuffie's gold chocobo Jinx out in front. After tying them to a small tree I walked inside.  
  
Yuffie had just finished packing a small duffel bag with her things and set it next to mine.  
  
"Well, that does if for my stuff. What about your's?" Yuffie asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking around.  
  
"Well, my Premium Heart's in my bag along with all my other stuff so, yeah, I think we're ready," I said, looking at her and smiling.  
  
"Do you think I should bring the Conformer?"  
  
"Just in case."  
  
"Alright," she said, dashing off into another room.  
  
Yuffie appeared a moment later and attached her Conformer to her hip. She gave the living room another once over, making sure she didn't forget anything then picked her bag up and slung it over her shoulder.  
  
"Okay, Teef. Let's go."  
  
I nodded and picked my own bag up and walked out of the house. Yuffie shut and locked the door with her key then walked over to Jinx and attached her bag to his saddle.  
  
"Okay," Yuffie said, turning around and looking at the cubs. "Who's riding with who?"  
  
Now that the cubs are almost a year old they're about the size of a medium sized dog so whenever Yuffie and I go riding on our chocobos one cub has to ride with me and the other has to ride with Yuffie.  
  
Seto got up and walked over to me.  
  
"I'm riding with Aunt Tifa!" He exclaimed holding his head high.  
  
"That leaves me to ride with Aunt Yuffie!" Nariko said, padding over and sitting in front of Yuffie.  
  
"Okay, we're all set. Let's go," I said, walking toward Seraph.  
  
Seto jumped onto Seraph's back and lay down on my lap. I looked back to see how Yuffie was doing and Nariko was lying behind Yuffie.  
  
"Make sure you don't fall off, Nariko!" I said, steering Seraph toward Jinx.  
  
"Don't worry, Aunt Tifa," she said, with a smile. "I'll be extra careful."  
  
"Okay, let's go, already!" Yuffie exclaimed, stopping next to Seraph.  
  
"Yeah, let's go."  
  
We rode our chocobos out of town then spurred then North toward Icicle Inn.  
  
We rode into town at about eight o'clock. We found some stables for Seraph and Jinx then went into town and rented a hotel room for a week. We went up and got settled into our room and that's when a thought occurred to me.  
  
"Yuf, did you pack a sweater?" I asked, my brow furrowing.  
  
"Yeah, it's in my bag, why?"  
  
"Well, I forgot one."  
  
"No, you didn't!" Yuffie said, a large smile crossing her features.  
  
"Yes, I did. Being the big dunce that I am. Well, I think I should go buy one. We passed a clothing store on our way here so I think I'll go and see if they're still open," I said, walking over to my bag and digging my Premium Heart out of it.  
  
"Are you sure? It's after ten. Do you think they'll still be open?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so. If they're not, I'll just go back tomorrow. I'll be right back."  
  
"Okay, Teef."  
  
I slipped out of the hotel room and walked down the stairs. The lobby was dark except for a fire that was dieing in the fireplace. I walked out of the inn and out into the snow. I walked as fast as I could in the ankle deep snow as I made my way to the small clothing store.  
  
A large smile came onto my face as I saw that it was still open. The sign in the window still said 'open' and the lights were still on.  
  
I walked through the door and looked around for an attendant or manager of some sort.  
  
"Can I help you?" Came a soft feminine voice from in front of me.  
  
I looked and found a tall blonde woman standing in front of a rack of long sleeved shirts. She was looking at me expectantly.  
  
"Oh, I was just wondering if I could buy a sweater. I forgot to pack one," I said, walking towards her.  
  
"Oh, of course. There are some hooded sweatshirts in the back. Is that all right?" She asked, pointing in their direction.  
  
"That's perfect. Thank you," I said, walking past her.  
  
I found the rack that the clerk had pointed to and began looking at them. I found a large white sweatshirt that had blue snowflakes traveling up the arms with some intricate snowflake patterns on the front pocket and hood. I smiled and picked it up off the rack then walked over to the check out desk.  
  
I handed the sweatshirt to the clerk and noticed that her name was Beverly.  
  
"Okay, that'll be twenty-five Gil," she said, taking the hangar off of it and bagging it.  
  
I dug into my pocket and produced a few bills then handed them to Beverly.  
  
"Thanks, come again," she said, smiling sweetly and handing me the bag.  
  
I smiled back and took the bag from her then left the store. Outside I found a trash can where I threw the bag and all the tags away before slipping the sweater over my head. I smiled as I put my hands in the front pocket and began walking back toward the hotel.  
  
I was about halfway there when a voice startled me.  
  
"Well, aren't you a looka."  
  
I stopped and looked to where the voice came from. A young man that looked no older then nineteen or twenty was leaning against a building, flipping open and closing a pocketknife. He had a hint of an Australian accent and had fire red hair. (A/N: Do they even know who Aussie's are!? I'm not sure but I thought the accent would play very well with the setting.)  
  
I frowned as I shook my head and continued walking.  
  
"Hey!" He said, jogging towards me. "Don't you walk away! I"m not finished with you!"  
  
He went to grab my arm but I pulled back and put considerable distance between him and I.  
  
"Hey, kid, I don't know who you are but I don't have the time to screw around with a punk like you. So if you don't mind I have to go," I said, before turning away from him.  
  
But before I could register what was going on, he had his knife pressed up against my throat. I froze and put my hands up. That's when I smelled the alcohol on his breath.  
  
Great. A drunken teenager is holding me hostage. What fun.  
  
"Now you're comin' with me, lass!" He hissed into my ear. "And I don't wanna hear no guff about it!"  
  
He began to lead me off in another direction and that's when I heard the gunshot. I thought for sure that he had a gun and I almost thought that he had shot me. I felt the knife that he had around my neck fall away and I looked back and found him lying in the snow, a large pool of red starting to form around him.  
  
I staggered back a few steps before I looked up at the person that was approaching me.  
  
"Vincent!"

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger! I just wanted to build dramatic tension! VincentTifa goodness coming up in the next chapter! So none of you worry!


	13. Those Three Little Words

Disclaimer: Okay, people, first things first! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They inspirred me to come out with this chapter so I hope you all like it. This chapter's dedicated to all of you who have encouraged and complimented me. Thanks to all! I love every one of you!  
  
Alright, number two. VINCENT TIFA ACTION!!!!! For all of you who asked for it! Yes, things get EXTREMELY hot with Vincent and Tifa. You people wanted some action well I you go some! I hope you enjoy it! I was kind of reluctant at first because it sounded like Vincent was a little OOC. But because Vincent goes back into what I like to call 'macho mode' it kind of balanced out at least that's what it seems like to me. You guys are the judges! You decide whether this chapter is good or horribly bad. Well, send a review, good or constructive criticism, my way! I'll enjoy everyone one of your reviews! Anyways, enough of my babble start reading already!

* * *

I couldn't believe it. Vincent was here, standing in front of me.  
  
That's when I sank to my knees in the snow and I began to hyperventilate. That man was probably going to kill me and if Vincent hadn't seen it, I'd probably be lying in the snow surrounded by blood.  
  
I felt a pair of hands come to rest on my shoulders and lift me up so I was standing again.  
  
"Are you hurt?" He asked, looking up and down my body for any sign of injury.  
  
I shook my head quickly. "No. Thank you so much, Vincent," I said, throwing my arms around his neck. "That man would have killed me."  
  
"Come," he said, taking my hand. "We must get you back to your hotel."  
  
"Hold on just a second!" I said, wrenching my hand from his grasp. "How are you here?"  
  
"I moved here just recently. I needed a change of scenery," he said, before taking my hand again. "Now, come."  
  
He walked me back to my hotel without another word. When we got there he began to walk away, which I thought was really rude.  
  
"Vincent?"  
  
He stopped and turned around. I walked towards him and looked up at him.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked, looking into his eyes for a trace of emotion.  
  
"It. . . . . well, yes, it does concern you, but I still can't figure out why," he said, looking away from me.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
He took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. He looked back up at me with a questionable look in his eyes.  
  
"Can we meet tomorrow?"  
  
"Uh, sure. Where?"  
  
"There is a small cafe down the street. There are some things that have been weighing heavy in my mind over the past months and I wish to talk with you about them," he said, lowering his eyes once more.  
  
"Okay, what time to you want me to be awake?"  
  
He looked up at me then off to the side, in thought.  
  
"How about nine? I will come wait for you in the lobby of your hotel."  
  
"Sure, sounds great," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and giving him a small hug.  
  
I stepped back and watched him walk down the street until he was no longer in sight. I sighed and walked back up to the room. Once I got there, Yuffie almost jumped on me.  
  
"Hey, what took you so long?" She asked, throwing her hands up in the air. "I thought you were only gonna be gone a few minutes!"  
  
I figured I shouldn't tell her about my little encounter with the drunk. Some things are best kept silent and these are one of those things.  
  
"Well, I was looking around for a bit and I saw Vincent while I was making my way back here. He's gonna meet me out in the lobby tomorrow morning. He says he has some things that he wants to talk with me about," I said, taking off my new sweater and placing it on my bag.  
  
"Oh, but Tifa!" Yuffie exclaimed, putting on her pouting face. "You have to help me with the cubs! You just can't abandon me like this to go spend time with you on again, off again boyfriend!"  
  
"Why don't I take one of the cubs with me tomorrow? That way you won't have to worry," I suggested, sitting down on the couch.  
  
"Well," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "As long as you don't disappear for the whole day! If Vinnie wants to hang out with us that's fine and dandy."  
  
"Thanks, Yuf. Which cub should I bring with me though?" I said, looking at the two cubs sitting at my feet.  
  
"Bring me Aunt Tifa!" Seto said, putting his front paws on my lap. "I wanna go see Uncle Vincent!"  
  
"Okay, you can come with me then. Thank you for volunteering, Seto," I said, scratching his ears.  
  
"No prob!" He said, smiling.  
  
I changed out into my pajamas and hopped into bed. Both weary and excited about what Vincent wanted to talk with me about.  
  
I got up the next morning at about 8:30 and put on a loose fitting pair of khaki cargo pants and a long sleeved white v-neck shirt. I brushed all the tangles out of my hair and slipped my hooded sweatshirt over my head and settled myself on the small couch. Seto walked up to me a few moments later and yawned, still sleepy.  
  
"So," he said, leaning his head down and scratching his ear with his hind leg. "When do we leave?"  
  
I looked at the small alarm clock that was sitting on Yuffie's nightstand. 8:45.  
  
"Well, lets go now. Vincent's always been known for his promptness," I said, getting up from the couch and walking over to Yuffie who was still sleeping and gently shook her shoulder. "Yuffie."  
  
"Huh?" She asked, opening her eyes and looking around. "What's up?"  
  
"I'm leaving now. I have to meet Vincent downstairs in fifteen minutes. I'll see you later on this afternoon, 'kay?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," he said, stifling a yawn. "I'll see ya later, Teef. Tell me how your date with Vincent goes," she said, rolling back over, seeming to fall asleep.  
  
I sighed as I turned around. I had already tried convincing her that Vincent wasn't my boyfriend and we weren't going on a date. But then again, Yuffie had already tried to play matchmaker between Vincent and I in the past when we were still fighting the good fight for the Planet. Might as well let have her girlish fun while she still can, eh?  
  
I signaled Seto to follow me and stepped outside the room, silently closing the door. I slowly made my way down to the lobby and was surprised when I saw Vincent leaning against the door jam, staring at something off to the right. His head turned and he almost looked happy seeing me, causing a smile to creep its way onto my face.  
  
I walked up to him and stopped in front of him. He looked down at Seto as he sat down next to me. Seto looked at him and put on his cutest animal face.  
  
"Hi, Uncle Vincent!" He exclaimed, putting his front paws on Vincent's thighs.  
  
Vincent curled one corner of his mouth up as he patted Seto on the head. Seto returned to my side, a large smile on his face. I looked up at Vincent and smiled.  
  
"Well, why don't we get to business?" I asked, rubbing my palms together.  
  
Vincent raised both eyebrows and looked at me with a shocked look on his face. I almost laughed.  
  
"I'm certain you didn't want to meet me to drink coffee and make small talk, right?" I asked, putting my hands in my front pocket.  
  
Vincent's face relaxed as he nodded. "This way."  
  
I looked back and waved for Seto to follow then fell in step next to Vincent. I looked at his stone face as we walked and my brow furrowed. To tell the truth, I was very worried about him. He seemed so open with me when we last talked now it seemed like he'd crawled back into his shell. I bit my lip as I looked at him again. He either saw me looking at him and chose to ignore me or didn't catch me at all.  
  
He led me to a small cafe that had places for you to sit inside or, if you wanted, outside. Vincent picked a quiet table in one corner and sat. I slowly sat in the chair across from him and made sure Seto was still with us. Sure enough, he had already settled himself down next to my chair.  
  
"Tifa . . . . "Vincent said, causing me to look at him.  
  
His eyes were filled with desperation. I knew that look. That was the same look he had in his eyes when we spilled our souls to each other at the chocobo stables at Cosmo Canyon. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was like him and I had switched places. He was the one doing the cheering up while I was the one putting myself down and looked at everything with a negative attitude.  
  
"Hmm," I mumbled, confirming that I heard him.  
  
He looked away from me for a few moments before looking back into my eyes and lingering there. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath like preparing himself for the impossible.  
  
"How have you been doing?" He asked, seeming to change subject.  
  
Well, that isn't what I expected.  
  
"I've been surviving. Taking care of the cubs has put a little more brightness into our rather boring lives. But in all seriousness, it tore me up to leave you in Nibelheim," I said, bowing my head, not willing to see the look on his face. "I missed you everyday. I'm sorry. I should have contacted you."  
  
That's when I chose to look back up.  
  
I almost had a heart attack. I swear, my left arm seriously started to hurt when I saw Vincent's reaction. His head was bowed, his eyes closed and from what I could see from behind the high neck of his cape, a single tear had fallen from his left eye. I covered my mouth in shock. What did I do?  
  
He raised his right hand and wiped his face off before looking at me then looking down at the tabletop.  
  
"I thought you had forgotten about me," he mumbled.  
  
That's when my heart broke. He was worried that I had forgotten about him. How could I do such a thing? I'd never be able to live with myself if I did.  
  
"No, Vincent. How could I forget about you?" I said, looking at him, tears coming to my own eyes as well. His walls were crumbling. I reached across the table and grabbed his right hand in mine and gently squeezed it. "I'd never ever be able to forget about someone like you."  
  
He lowered his eyes from mine then suddenly got up from the table and, grabbing my wrist, began to lead me out of the cafe.  
  
"Come on, Seto!" I called over my shoulder.  
  
"Coming Aunt Tifa!" He said, jogging at my side.  
  
I stayed quiet while Vincent led me through the snow-covered streets of Icicle Inn. We turned on a street called 'Snowflake.' Well, how convenient! He walked toward a small two-story house and walked inside almost slamming the door on Seto's tail. That's when he let go of my wrist and walked up the stairs.  
  
I watched him climb up the stairs then occupied myself with other things until he returned. I slowly walked into his living room and looked around.  
  
He had a couch and love seat in one corner of the room with a fireplace. He had a bunch of picture frames sitting on the mantle and I walked towards it, not being able to hold in my curiosity.  
  
The picture in the center was of all of us before we split up almost two years ago. I smiled, that really wasn't a very joyous occasion. Then I was surprised when I found that the six smaller pictures surrounding the big group photo were all of me, in one way or another.  
  
Really, when would he have to time to take snap shots? It wasn't some pleasure cruise.  
  
The first one that caught my eye was one where I was sitting in front of a fire with a sort of lost look in my eyes. He probably took that one shortly after Aeris died or after Cloud disappeared, one of the two.  
  
The other five were of me playing with the cubs. In three of them I had all five crawling all over me but in the other two I was only playing with one cub. Kayo was in one and Naava was in the other.  
  
I smiled. The only other people that liked to take my picture were my parents. It was very touching that he had so many photos of me.  
  
"Do you disapprove of them?" Vincent's soothing baritone came from behind, startling me a small amount. I turned around to find that he had taken his cape off.  
  
"No, they're really very good. It just surprises me that someone would take my picture so many times. I've never really been very camera happy," I said, looking back at the pictures.  
  
"Why is that?" He inquired, before sitting down on the couch. In turn, I sat across from him on the love seat.  
  
"I don't know. It's just that whenever someone took a picture of me I never smiled," I said, looking down at my hands. I was sort of confused why he took me to his home but I guess that's because more then likely the conversation we were about to have was going to get both of us emotional one way or another.  
  
I looked up at Vincent, sensing that he wanted to cut to the case. I was silent, feeling that he needed to get something off his chest.  
  
"Tifa, I. . . . I need you to tell me something," he said, leaning forward and wringing his hands. He looked up at me, his eyes asking me to go on and I simply nodded my head. He continued. "What did you think when I first kissed you?"  
  
My eyes widened in shock when he said this. I didn't think that Vincent was the kind of person to worry about a woman's thoughts after he's kissed her, but then again, Vincent hasn't had much physical contact with a woman for quite some time. I exhaled sharply and stared at his coffee table.  
  
"Well, I'll be honest with you," I started and I could almost feel him cringe. "I was surprised that anyone would want to kiss me especially after what happened. . . . "I said, not able to finish my sentence.  
  
I looked at Vincent as his eyes widened in shock when he realized what I was talking about.  
  
"Oh no, Tifa, you didn't loose your-"  
  
"Innocence? No," I said, cutting him off. "I was walking home from a friend's house one night. I had had dinner with them and the sun had just set. Before I knew what was happening a bum was leading me into an alley with a knife pressed against my throat saying that if he didn't get what he wanted he was going to kill me," I said, clamping my hand over my throat. I could almost feel that knife. "He got close to stealing it from me, that is before a police officer showed up and knocked him over the head with his knight stick. He escorted me home and told my father what had happened. He wouldn't let me out of his sight for a month after that. I thought for sure that he had stolen my innocence that is until my dad took me to the doctor to get checked out." I coughed then sneezed. "So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm surprised that you kissed me. Because a lot of people started calling me a slut after they found out. Even though my life was being threatened and it would be considered rape, I was a slut." Not being able to hold it in any longer, I covered my mouth with my hand and closed my eyes, allowing the tears to flow from my eyes.  
  
I was even more surprised when I felt Vincent's arms wrap around me and pull me to him. Immediately, I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shirt. We sat like that for many moments before he began to speak.  
  
"That's not what I think," he whispered into my hair. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I wouldn't have kissed you if I knew what had happened."  
  
"No, Vincent," I said, shaking my head in his shirt. "You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, it made me feel better. It made me feel that for the first time in a long time, someone cared for me. That I was more to them then some kind of tool."  
  
"Tifa, you. . . ." He paused and raised his right hand, weaving his fingers through my hair, obviously struggling to get those words out. "You mean everything to me. I have to confess that I wished you would stay in Nibelheim with me but I knew you had duties back in Wutai. I knew that you could never love me. Why would you want to? I'd only end up hurting you in the end."  
  
I raised my head off of his chest and was shocked to find tears running down Vincent's face. That only made me cry more. I lifted my hands and gently set them on his cheeks.  
  
As if an answer to his prayers he closed his eyes and raised his right hand to lie on mine. I wiped my eyes off on my sleeves, not wanting to take my hands off Vincent.  
  
"Vincent," I said as best as I could between tears. "I have something that I have to confess to you. When I was in Wutai, after we parted, I couldn't stop thinking about you and what you were doing. I thought you'd be glad that I was out of your hair so I never thought to call. I realized something," I said, looking deeply into his eyes, praying that I wouldn't drive him away with what I was about to say. "I . . . I love you, Vincent."  
  
That's all he needed to hear. His lips pressed against mine softly then more forcefully. I kept my left hand where it was, moving my right and weaving my fingers through his long ebony hair. He broke off the kiss and wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed me to his chest. And the funny part was, both of us were still crying. I couldn't get myself to stop and I bet neither could he.  
  
Then he leaned back on the couch, pulling me with him and allowing his back to rest against the arm of the love seat. I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head down on his chest, sleep taking hold of me not much later.  
  
Seto smiled from his corner. He always knew that they loved each other. They just needed a push in the right direction. That's why he had volunteered to go with Tifa. He wanted to see the magic happen and he was overjoyed that he got to. Smiling, he lay back down and waited for Uncle Vincent and Aunt Tifa to finish. 


	14. Snowball War

Disclaimer: Oh, thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews! Especially **Ye olde critic**. That's the longest review I've ever gotten. It's not very often that people are so straightforward with me. Thank you very much!

Okay, when I was finished with this chapter I really had no idea where to go with this. So if anyone has an idea of what I could do for an ending please tell me. If I use your idea I'll dedicate that specific chapter to you and give you all the credit for the idea. Fair enough? I sure hope so. Well, anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I put a little more humor in it then I usually do so I hope it's not too ridiculous. Anyway, enough of my babbling! On with the story!

* * *

I woke up still laying on Vincent's chest. I smiled as I took in the smell of his cologne on his shirt. I lifted my head from his chest and looked around for a clock. I sighed as I looked at the time. It was only 1:06. At least it wasn't really late. Yuffie would be steamed at me.

I saw Seto lying down next to the door, he was sleeping as well. I gently squirmed out of Vincent's arms and walked over to the sleeping red beast. I kneeled down next to him and scratched his ear. He opened his eyes and looked at me with sleepy yellow eyes.

"What's up, Aunt Tifa?" He asked, yawning.

"I just woke up," I whispered, trying not to wake Vincent. "I'll get Vincent up in a little while then we'll go see Aunt Yuffie and your sister. I think . . . ." Was all I got out before I heard Vincent scream my name.

"Tifa!" He called out sounding desperate.

I stood up and jogged toward the love seat where he was sitting.

"I'm right here," I whispered as he gathered me into his arms.

"I thought you left me," he mumbled.

"Why would I do that?" I asked, stroking his hair. "After I told you I loved you."

"I don't deserve you, Tifa," he said, looking up at me.

"You need to stop cutting yourself down. It's not good for you," I said, tapping him on the nose with my index finger.

He managed a wry smile before dropping his hands back to his sides and getting up. I stood in front of him until he wrapped me into another hug then walked back upstairs. Seto watched him then looked back at me.

"Is Uncle Vincent okay?" He asked, padding up to me.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," I said, smiling down at the fire red beast sitting at my feet.

I looked back up as Vincent descended the stairs. He had his cape back on and was looking at me expectantly. I walked up to him and placed my hand on the brass doorknob.

"What were you thinking about doing next?" He asked, pulling a small silver key out of his pocket.

I opened the door and stepped out allowing Vincent to lock the place up.

"Maybe you, Yuffie and I could hang out the rest of the day," I said, walking down the street with him, Seto padding along next to me.

"Yuffie is here with you?" He asked, kind of surprised.

"Yeah, it's me, her and the two cubs, here on sort of a winter vacation."

He nodded his head and continued walking towards my hotel. Once we got there I walked toward the room and walked in, silently followed by Vincent. I could see Yuffie in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She appeared in the doorway with a toothbrush in her mouth.

"Hey, Tifa! You guys have fun?" She asked, going back into the bathroom.

"Yeah, you could say that," I said, as I walked over to the couch. Vincent sat down next to me and put his hand on my knee. I giggled at his attempt to show affection. He just looked at me with a passive expression.

"Well, that's good because-"Yuffie stopped mid sentence when she saw Vincent's hand on my leg. "Um, Tifa?" She asked, waving her hand around in circles still staring.

"Yeah, Yuf," I said, playing dumb.

"Um, why is Vincent's hand on your leg?" She asked, her eyes growing wide.

I looked down and pretended to finally notice his hand.

"Oh, you mean this?" I said, pointing at Vincent's hand.

Yuffie nodded her head, still looking at his hand. Then she looked at me as a surprised expression came onto her face. She pointed a finger at Vincent and I..

"You two hit it off didn't you?" She asked, with both excitement and accusation in her voice.

"It depends on what you mean by 'hit it off,'" Vincent said, in his usual monotone, his hand never moving from its spot.

"You know what I mean!" Yuffie exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Now I know all those months of playing matchmaker between you two wasn't all for nothing! Well, you don't have to thank me!" She said, turning around and going back into the bathroom.

I laughed as Vincent looked over at me with a 'give me a break' expression on his face. I smiled as I realized that Vincent was coming out of his shell. Slowly but surely.

Yuffie walked out of the bathroom and stopped in front of us, hands on her hips.

"Well, what do you guys want to do?" She asked, looking at both of us.

Vincent shrugged his shoulders then looked at me, expecting me to come up with something bright. I thought for a second then an evil little thought popped into my head, but I wasn't going to tell them about it just yet.

"How about we just go mess around in the snow for a while?" I asked, winking at Yuffie with my right eye so Vincent couldn't see it. Yuffie caught it, but kept a straight face while she thought.

"Okay, why not? Come on, cubs! Time to go play in the snow!" She announced to the two cubs that were curled up on my bed.

They jumped up and bolted over to the door. I laughed as I got up from my place on the couch and opened the door for them. They raced out while Vincent, Yuffie and I calmly made our way down the stairs. When we got to the door they were whining and wagging their fiery tales around begging for us to open the door. I opened the door and watched as they bolted out the door and began rolling around in the snow.

We followed the cubs around, making small talk and joking around. Yuffie pulled me off to the side, remembering my wink from when we were up in the room. We whispered so Vincent couldn't hear us.

"Now what was that wink of yours all about?" She whispered into my ear.

"Let's have a snowball war!" I whispered just as quiet.

"Oh," she said, rubbing her palms together. "I like the idea. What's the plan?"

I told Yuffie the plan then walked over to where Vincent was standing watching the cubs roll around in the snow. He looked at me when I stopped in front of him.

"Hey, Vincent. I was wondering," I said, looking down at the snow-covered earth. "Do you want to play a game?"

He cocked an eyebrow at this statement then stayed silent for a few more seconds before speaking.

"What kind of game?"

I looked over behind me to find Yuffie gone. Perfect. I looked back at Vincent then walked toward a small grove of trees. I stopped next to one and looked back at Vincent to find him staring at me with his eyebrow raised. I put my hand up in front of me and raised my index finger, calling him over. After a few moments of standing there he began to walk forward. Seto spotted me and led Nariko over to lie next to a tree.

Once I saw him coming I dashed off and hid behind a tall oak. I looked over and saw Yuffie with a large smirk on her face, holding a very large snowball. I stooped down and began to gather up some snow in my hands and packed it into a perfect sphere. I peeked around the tree to find Vincent walking around, looking for me.

_Just a little bit closer. Come on. A little bit closer. Almost there. Aha!_

I jumped out from behind the tree and flung the snowball at Vincent's head. He didn't see it coming and I succeeded in hitting Vincent Valentine, ex-Turk, Gunslinger Extraordinaire right in the kisser.

He jumped back surprised and wiped all the snow off of his face before looking at me with an evil smirk playing on his lips.

"Tifa . . . ." He growled walking towards me.

That's when I spotted Yuffie standing behind Vincent. She launched her own snowball and it hit him right in the back of the head. He spun around and looked at Yuffie menacingly. I took the opportunity and ran off to the right to make another snowball. I heard Yuffie pleading with Vincent not to hurt her and that it was all my idea. To no avail, though.

"Ahhh! Vincent! That's cold!" Yuffie screeched. "No! No! Stop! Okay! Okay, I give! Just stop smothering snow in my hair!"

I heard Vincent laughing. Now there's a rare sound. That's when I peeked around my tree to find Vincent laughing at a very mad Yuffie whose hair was sticking out every which way with clumps of snow in it.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead and laugh! Just wait until I get you back!" Yuffie exclaimed disappearing behind another tree.

I tried to look where Yuffie disappeared too but when I looked back at where Vincent was standing he was gone.

_Uh-oh. Where'd he go?_

Then a very large snowball hit me in the back of the head making me spin around. Vincent was standing there with a silly smile on his face, holding another really big snowball in his right hand.

"Two can play at that game, Valentine!" I exclaimed before chucking my snowball at him then running behind a tree to avoid his.

I kneeled down and made another snowball then peeked around the tree. He was gone again.

_God, how does he do that? Seriously-_

A sound in behind me made me freeze. I slowly turned my eyes in the direction of the sound and found Vincent standing there, that evil grin still plastered on his face.

"Boo."

I smiled sheepishly before dashing off but not before feeling Vincent's snowball smack me right on the rear. I squealed then turned back to Vincent who was making another snowball. I chucked my snowball at him and it landed smack dab on the top of his head.

He shook his head making all the snow fall out of his tangled mane then chucked his snowball at me, hitting me right in the face. I sputtered then wiped the snow off my face. Vincent had jumped behind a tree and was peeking out from behind it with a sly grin on his face.

"Give it up, Lockheart!" I heard him call as he threw another snowball my way. I jumped to avoid it then made a snowball of my own.

"Never!" I screamed defiantly ducking behind a tree as Vincent sent another snowball careening towards me.

"Aha!" I heard Yuffie scream.

I looked out from behind the tree to find Vincent pelting Yuffie with snowballs while she tried to hit him with her own.

"Ha! Take that, Valentine!" She exclaimed before taking a snowball to the face.

I jumped out from behind the tree and charged toward Vincent, sending my snowball careening into the side of his head. He jumped, surprised, which gave Yuffie a few seconds to pelt Vincent with her artillery. I ran around behind Yuffie and whispered for her to get out of the way. She nodded then jumped to the side.

Vincent had his arms up in front of him defensively before lowering them slightly. That's when I ran toward him and latched onto him, throwing my arms around his neck and locking my legs around his waist. He wrapped his arms around my waist before swiftly turning around and landing the both of us in the snow.

"Give?" He said, before placing his lips softly on top of mine.

"Never!" I said, when he backed away.

"Big mistake," he said, digging the fingertips of his right hand into my side, tickling me.

I began to squirm, trying to get out of his grasp but I couldn't move with him on top of me. My eyes began to water as I grabbed his hand to try and stop him.

"Give?" He asked again.

"Okay! All right, I give! You win!" I exclaimed.

"As I thought," he said, getting up and pulling me with him.

"Well, I think we've had enough fun for one day," Yuffie said, shaking all the snow out of her hair. "Let's go back to the room so I can brush my hair."

"Yeah, I need to too," I said, walking beside Vincent. I spotted the cubs sleeping next to a tree and called them over. "Did you two have fun?"

"You bet!" Nariko said, smiling widely. "I can't wait until we tell Mommy and Daddy about snow!"

"Oh, that reminds me! Yuffie did you bring the video camera?" I asked, her hoping she did.

"Yeah, it's in my bag. Before we leave we need to tape them again."

I nodded and we walked back to the hotel room. Vincent sat down on the couch while Yuffie and I brushed all the snow out of our hair.

"Hey," Yuffie said, jumping out of the bathroom and striking a pose. "Why don't we go out for lunch? Running around in the snow makes ya hungry!"

"Yeah, why not? How about it, Vincent?" I said, smiling at him.

He shrugged his shoulders and looked away. "Do what you wish."

"Okay," I said, looking back at Yuffie. "How 'bout we go to the cafe that me and Vincent went to this morning?"

"Sure!" Yuffie said, walking towards the door.

I looked back at the cubs and signaled them to follow us. We walked back to the cafe and got a table inside this time. I went up to the bar and bought a sandwich and hot chocolate. I went back to our table and began to eat. Yuffie came back with her food and began to eat as well. Vincent said he wasn't hungry so he just settled for coffee.

Yuffie and I finished our sandwiches and hot chocolate then after saying good-bye to Vincent we went back to the hotel room.

Immediately, I got into my pajamas and collapsed on my bed. Playing in the snow had tired me out and all I wanted to do was sleep.


	15. Night on the Town

Disclaimer: Okay, this chapter goes out to anonymous reviewer **vincent/tifa fan13.** They're the one that gave me the idea for the last two chapters. Thank you very much for the wonderful ideas! I'm glad you like my story! A lot of people seem to and that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside! Thank you to all who have reviewed so far! Once one or two more chapters before this story is finished! I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

Yuffie and I spent the remainder of our week with Vincent. We went snowboarding and had a few more snowball wars.

Then the last day of our vacation I was sitting outside with the cubs reading a book when Vincent walked up to me.

"Hi, Vincent!" I said, looking at him as he sat down next to me.

I closed my book and turned to look at him. Nariko walked up to him and sat down, looking at him with her glowing yellow eyes. Vincent reached up and scratched her chin before turning to look at me. Nariko returned to her spot next to Seto once Vincent turned his attention away from her.

"I was wondering," he said, taking one of my hands in his human one. "Would it be alright if just you and I spent the day together?"

My eyebrows raised in surprise. Where had that come from? I looked over at Nariko and Seto who were lying in a small patch of grass that was showing through the snow. They looked up at me and Seto winked and nodded.

I looked back at him and smiled. "One question. Could I bring one of the cubs with me?"

Vincent looked down at the ground. "I'd rather it be just us."

"Okay, that's fine," I said, getting up. "Yuffie'll just have to find something to do while we're out."

He got up and followed the cubs and I back to the hotel. I was about to start my ascent of the stairs when I stopped short and looked back at Vincent.

"You may want to wait down here while I break the news to Yuffie. I won't be long."

Vincent nodded as I walked up the steps with the cubs in tow. I walked in the room and Yuffie was sitting on the couch watching TV. She looked up at me as she turned off the TV and got up.

"Well, I sent Red and Seta the next tape so they should get it here pretty soon. What are we gonna do today?"

"Well, that's what I need to talk with you about," I said, sitting down on the bed. "You wouldn't mind watching the cubs for the day would you?"

Yuffie looked at me with a solemn face. For a second I thought she was gonna blow up.

"Why?" She asked, in her child like voice.

"Vincent wants to spend the day with me . . . . .alone," I said, almost dreading saying that word in front of Yuffie.

"Oh, I get it," Yuffie said, kneeling down in front of the cubs and scratching their ears. "Vincent wants to have some alone time with you and I understand that. I hope you and Vampy have a nice time!" She said, standing up and waving.

"What? You're not mad?" I asked, very confused on why she wouldn't be pouting telling me not to leave her alone with the cubs all day.

"Well, I am sort of nervous about having to watch the cubs all day but if Vincent wants to have some alone time with you, I can understand that. I see the way he looks at you and I can tell he feels more then a simple crush for you. Have fun and tell me all about it!" Yuffie said, hugging me.

I backed away from her and looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Who are you and what have you done with Yuffie?" I asked, chuckling a small amount.

"Oh, knock it off!" She said, punching me on the arm. "Get out of here and have fun with Vincent!" She said, pushing me out the door.

"Okay, see you later, Yuf!" I said, starting to walk down the hallway.

"Much later!" She said, before closing the door.

I descended the stairs to find Vincent standing by the doorway but my smile turned into a frown when I saw a woman that looked older then me trying to talk to Vincent. I stopped next to Vincent and put my hand on his claw arm. I looked at her with a 'who-the-hell-are-you?' glare.

"Who are you?" I asked, looking at Vincent to find him looking at me with a glance that screamed 'save me!'

The woman looking between me and Vincent like she had intruded on something. "Um, uh, well, you see, I . . . ."

I gave her menacing stare as I wrapped my arms around Vincent's neck and leaned my body against him.

"Oh, so you're trying to pick up my husband then, huh?" I asked, getting a wide-eyed expression from the woman standing in front of me.

"Well, you see, I didn't know-"

"Well, now you do. I better not catch you trying to flirt with Vincent again or you've got another thing coming," I said, not taking my burning wine eyes from her green ones.

"Sorry," she mumbled before walking away.

Vincent leaned his head down next to my ear. "What would I do without you?"

I shrugged my shoulders and I backed away and walked out of the hotel. I stopped and looked at the small wristwatch I was wearing.

"Well, it's only 3:30. What do you want to do?"

"Come with me," he said, taking my hand in his and leading me through town.

I was surprised to find that he was leading me back to his house. I frowned out of confusion. Why is he taking me to his house?

Vincent let go of my hand when we arrived at his door. He unlocked the door and led me inside. He retreated up the stairs once again and I went and sat down on the couch. Vincent came back downstairs a few minutes later without his cape and sat in front of me.

"Do you, uh," he began, pulling on the collar of his shirt. I looked up at him and crossed my right leg over my left. "Did you bring any formal wear?"

I raised my eyebrows and looked down at the coffee table. That was the one question I was certainly not expecting.

I shook my head and looked back up at him. "No, I didn't bring any with me. Why?"

"Well, uh," he said, putting his elbows on his knees and bowing his head. He took a deep breath before looking back up at me. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner with me."

"Really?" I said, a smile crawling onto my face. "I'd love to."

Vincent smiled as he nodded his head and stood. He dug around in his pocket then pulled out a wad of gil. He handed it to me and I looked at it with confusion.

"Go ahead and use that to buy yourself a dress," he said, motioning toward the large wad of gil in my hands. "It should be enough for you to buy a nice evening gown."

I looked down at the gil in amazement. There must be more here then what Yuffie and I brought for vacation. I looked up at Vincent with an astonished look on my face.

"Vincent, I can't take this. This is your money," I said, reaching my hand out, offering it back to him.

"Please," he said, raising his hands. "Take it. It's the least I could do for you."

"At least let me pay for dinner," I said, putting the money in my pocket.

"No, It's my treat."

"Well, okay. Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Well, where should I go to buy the dress?"

"There is a dress shop a few blocks away from here. Come I will show you," he said, taking my hand and leading me back out of his house.

He led me to the small dress shop he told me about and pushed the door open, leading me inside.

I stopped next to the door and looked around at all the dresses that were on display. Some of them were absolutely gorgeous. I looked at a few of the price tags and my eyes almost fell out of their sockets. Some of these prices were outrageous.

"Ah, Mr. Valentine," a young man with brown hair said, shaking Vincent's hand. "What can I do for you today?"

"I have a lady friend that I'm taking out to dinner tonight," Vincent said, pointing at me. I didn't notice for I was to busy examining the dresses.

"Ah," the man said, looking at me.

"I want you to get her fitted for a dress. I gave her some gil to pay for it. I have to go get a suit. I'll be back in an hour."

"Of course, Mr. Valentine. She's in good hands," he said, bowing slightly.

I stopped looking at the dresses to find Vincent walking out of the shop. I frowned then spotted a short man with brown hair and green eyes walking towards me.

"Hello, Miss," he said, smiling. "Mr. Valentine said you were in need of a dress. I am Colin."

"Nice to meet you, Colin," I said, nodding me head. "Where did Vincent go?"

"He's going to pick up a suit. He'll be back in a while. Until then come with me," he said, stretching out his hand.

I put my hand in his and he led me into the back of the shop and into a room that had a big four angle mirror and a circular step stool in front of it.

"Do I have to get measured?"

"Yes, my associates will assist you," Colin said, as three young woman walked in behind him.

"Hi," A tall red head said. "I'm Anita this is Colleen," she said, pointing to a blonde. "And this is Erin," she said, pointing to woman with dark brown hair.

"I'm Tfa," I said, smiling at all the women.

"Well, why don't we get started," Erin said, guiding me over to the step stool.

About twenty minutes later, Anita, Colleen and Erin told me to go find Colin again so he could show me my dress. I thanked the three ladies and walked out of the room. I spotted Colin in the opposite corner looking at a few dresses that were displayed in glass cases.

He saw me and signaled me to join him. I told him my dress size and he nodded then looked back at the dress he was looking at.

It was black with blue rhinestones making an intricate swirling pattern up the left side of the dress. The dress had a long sleeve on the left side that had rhinestones on it but the right side didn't have a sleeve at all.

"How about this one?" Colin said, looking over at me and smiling.

"It's beautiful." Was all I was able to say.

"How about you try it on?"

"Okay."

"Great. Come with me." Colin led me through a door in the back then brought me over to a fitting room. He told me to wait inside and he would bring the dress.

A few minutes later he brought me the dress in my size, a pair of black Stiletto heals and a strapless bra. He handed them to me and stepped out, telling me to come out when I was dressed.

I dressed and looked at myself in the mirror. The dress was absolutely gorgeous. It hugged my waist until it hit my knees then swirled out. I smoothed it a few times before stepping out of the dressing room.

Colin looked me over with a wide smile on his face before looking up at me. "It's perfect," he said, in an Italian accent, putting the index and middle fingers of both his hands against his thumbs.

"Yeah, it's beautiful. How much is it?" I asked, sort of dreading how much it was.

"It's six hundred gil. A little bit pricey if you ask me, but, hey, I'm not the boss. So, how about it?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Okay, I'll take it," I said, smiling.

_Gosh, I sure hope I have enough._

"Would you like the shoes and bra as well?"

"Would it be all right?"

"Of course. Come up to the front and I'll wrap it for you."

I nodded as I stepped back into the dressing room and began the careful process of taking the dress off. I put the shoes back in the box and put my own clothes back on. I dug in my pocket for the gil and pulled it out. I counted out about seven hundred and put the rest in my pocket.

I carefully picked up the dress, shoes and bra and carried them to the checkout desk.

I laid them in front of Colin and he rang up the price.

"Okay, total including tax is . . . . .six hundred ninety-five gil," he said, looking at me.

I handed him the amount in my hand then he gave me the change. He put the dress and bra in a box then put the shoebox on top of it. He handed them to me then walked me to the door.

"I hope you and Mr., Valentine have a wonderful evening," he said, patting me on the shoulder. "Oh, I never caught your name."

"It's Tifa. Tifa Lockheart."

"Thank you for visiting, Miss Lockheart. Please, come again."

I smiled at him once again before walking out of the dress shop. I stopped outside the door and looked around for Vincent.

_Hm, I don't remember seeing a tuxedo shop when Yuffie and I got here. Great, if I can't find him . . . . .oh, there he is! What a basket case I am!_

He stopped in front of me and looked at the boxes that I held in my hands.

"Did you find a dress?" He asked, as he shifted his boxes from one hand to the other.

"Yeah," I said, smiling. "That Colin guy sold me a really pretty dress."

"That's good. Come, let's go back to the house."

I fell in step next to him as we walked back to the house. Vincent unlocked the door with minor difficulty then we stepped inside. I set my boxes down on the couch and looked at him.

"So, uh, what time were you thinking about having dinner?" I asked, pushing a few stray strands of hair back behind my ears.

"Well, it's . . . ." He paused and looked at a small analog clock that was sitting on the entertainment center. "It's only 4:52 now. Will you be ready by 6:30?"

I looked down at the two white boxes sitting on the couch. I looked back up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I will but I'll have to start getting ready pretty soon."

He nodded as he leaned down and picked up his boxes from the coffee table and retreated upstairs. He came back down a few minutes later.

"I have a guest room with a bathroom in it. If you wish, you may use it."

I nodded and picked up the two boxes on the couch and walked up the stairs. I suddenly remembered that I didn't bring any of my cosmetics that I need with me here. I sighed as I stopped on the third step from the top. Vincent looked back at me with a puzzled expression. I caught it and began to explain.

"I don't have any of my makeup on me," I said, biting my lip.

"Maybe you could call Yuffie?" He suggested.

"Hey, you're right!" I said, climbing the rest of the steps and following Vincent to the guest room. "Nice thinkin', Vince!"

He only nodded as he held the door open for me. I set the boxes down on the bed and smiled at him before he closed the door. I sat down on the bed and dug my PHS out of my pocket. I dialed Yuffie's number and put it to my ear.

"What's up, Teef?" Yuffie's cheerful voice said. "Are you and Vince having any fun yet?"

"Not yet. He's taking me out to dinner."

"Ooh, really?"

"Yeah, I need you to do me a favor. Could you bring my back of cosmetics over to Vincent's house? You remember how to get here right?"

"Of course I do! Don't worry, Teef! Yuffie is on the job!" She hung up and I placed the PHS down on the bed.

Yuffie, Vincent and I had come back to his house one day after we went snowboarding and had hot chocolate and watched a movie.

_I hope Yuffie hurries up! I need to start getting ready!_

I sighed again as I got up and took my dress from the box and smoothed it out on top of the bed cover. I walked over to the mirror and wondered what I could do with my hair. I shrugged and told myself that I'd figure that out after Yuffie brought my make up.

I almost jumped when a doorbell sounded. I ran out of the room and jumped down the stairs, opening the door quickly. Yuffie was standing there with a smirk on her face, holding my bag of cosmetics. She held up her wristwatch and pointed to it.

"Six minutes! That's a new record!" She said, handing me my bag. "Can I see your dress really quick?" She asked, hopping up and down on the balls of her feet, clasping her hands in front of her mouth.

"Sure, come on."

She squealed in delight and followed me to the room. I went to knock on Vincent's door but stopped when I heard running water. Figuring I'd just tell him when he got out I continued on to the room.

Yuffie jumped in ahead of me and rushed to the bed. She looked at the dress like it was a priceless china doll and softly ran her fingers down the blue rhinestones.

"Oh, Tifa, it's gorgeous!" She said, turning to look at me. "Have you tried it on yet? Has Vincent see you in it?"

"Yes to your first question and no to the second. He'll see me in it soon enough," I said, dumping all my make up onto the bed.

"Well, I hope you have fun! I'll show myself to the door! See you later, Tifa!" She said, before closing the door behind her.

I grabbed my brush, eyeliner, lip liner, mascara, eye shadow, lipstick and cover up. I walked into the small bathroom and began reapplying my makeup. Once I was finished, I got into my dress and looked at myself in the mirror trying to figure out how to wear my hair. I grabbed my brush, comb a few bobby pins and a small bottle of hairspray as an idea came into my head.

I brushed my hair into a side part then put it into a bun. I held back a few loose strands with the bobby pins and put a few squirts of hairspray on the bun to make sure it stayed. I gathered my clothes and put them in a pile on the bed then put on the heals.

I gave myself another once over before walking out of the guest room. I looked around in Vincent's room to find it empty then walked down stairs.

I quietly walked down stairs and looked around for him. I spotted him in the kitchen wearing his tux. He had his hair pulled back into a low ponytail and was wearing a very nice black tuxedo. He looked really good in it. He was looking at a phone book and didn't notice me until I knocked on the wall.

His head shot up and his eyes scanned slowly over my body. His eyes grew wide as he walked towards me.

"You look fabulous," he said, looking down at the dress then up at me.

"Why, thank you, Vincent," I said, smiling. "You don't look that bad yourself. So, where are we going?"

"It's funny actually. The name of the restaurant is _Final Heaven_."

My eyebrows raised in surprise as I looked at him with a look that said 'I don't believe you.'

"And this some sort of fancy restaurant?"

"Yes, their policy is you must have formal wear. That is why I gave you the money to buy this dress," he said, moving his arm up and down pointing at my dress.

"Did you have to make reservations?"

"Yes, actually. I made them for 6:45," he said, looking over at his microwave. The green letters flashed 6:20. "I also called for a cab. Icicle Inn has gotten a little more technologically advanced since Meteor. You don't have to walk everywhere now."

"Okay, when is it getting here?" I asked, walking into the living room and looking out the front window.

Vincent pulled his left wrist up and looked at his watch. "It should be here any minute."

"Okay," I said, sitting down on the couch.

I smoothed the crinkles out of my dress and sat quietly. Vincent stood by the doorway and looked out of the small window every now and then. I heard a honk and immediately stood up. I walked towards the door and Vincent gently took my hand in his and led me to the cab.

He opened the door and I carefully slid inside. I smiled at the female cabby as Vincent shut the door.

"Where to, sir?" She asked, through dark sunglasses.

"Final Heaven."

She nodded and pulled away from the curb. The ride there was silent. I found that Vincent was fidgeting nervously with his pant legs whenever I looked over at him. I would clasp my hand over his and give him a reassuring smile.

The cabby pulled up into the restaurant parking lot and Vincent gave her the amount of gil that was needed to pay for the ride. After saying thank you really quick, I slid out of the cab and smoothed out my dress.

Vincent stopped at my side and held out his arm. Smiling, I put my hand in the crook of his elbow and began walking towards the entrance.

The maitre'd smiled at us as we walked up to him.

"Do you have reservations, sir?" He said in an unbelievingly thick French accent.

"Yes, party of two. Valentine."

"One moment, sir," he said, as he flipped through the large book in front of him. "Ah, here you are. Please, follow me."

He grabbed two menus and led us through the restaurant. He sat us at a two-person table next to a window and gave us our menus. I flipped it open and began looking around.

I about fell out of my chair when I saw the outrageous prices of some of the items. I settled for a turkey sandwich and closed my menu. Vincent looked up at me when I did.

"Do you know what you want?" He asked, closing his.

"Yeah, I saw some of the prices and just settled for something not as expensive. What are you getting?" I asked, taking a sip of my water.

"The Fettuccini Alfredo."

"That sounds good. I'm getting the turkey sandwich."

"Will that be enough for you? You may get whatever you like."

"Yeah, it'll be fine."

Our waiter, a tall, lean man named Nathan, walked up to us and took our food and drink orders. Vincent and I chatted while we waited for our food to arrive.

Once our waiter brought our food back we ate in silence until we were almost finished.

"So, Tifa," Vincent said, taking a sip from his glass of wine. "What were you thinking about doing when you went back to Wutai?"

I looked down at the table and thought. I looked back up at him and shrugged my shoulders. "Same ol', same ol', I guess. I have to finish watching the cubs for Red and Seta then I have to bring them back to Cosmo Canyon." I stopped. An idea popped into my head as a wide smile came onto my face. "You should come down to Cosmo Canyon when I have to bring the cubs home! We could spend some more time together!"

Vincent nodded his head and looked down at the table as well. "That could be arranged."

"Great!" I said, clasping my hands in front of my mouth.

"So," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes, I had a wonderful time! Thank you so much, Vincent! This was really sweet of you."

"No problem," he said, smiling a small amount.

"Here's your bill, sir," our waiter said, handing Vincent a small black notebook.

Vincent opened the notebook and scanned his eyes over the bill.

"Not bad," he said, shaking his head.

He closed the notebook and handed it to me. Sort of reluctant, I opened the book and my eyes widened out of pure shock. The bill was only $55. 79. Pretty fricken good for a restaurant like this.

"Not what you were expecting?" He asked, as I handed him the book back.

"No. For some reason I thought the bill was going to be outrageous."

"It's not that bad. Considering we didn't order any of the extremely expensive items," Vincent said, as he put the amount of money to pay for the bill plus a tip into the sleeve of the notebook.

I took one more sip from my almost empty wine glass then got up. Vincent offered me his arm once again and led me from the restaurant. He called another cab over and we rode back to his home.

Vincent opened the door and I walked in. I sat down on the couch and was getting ready to take off my heals when the overhead lights dimmed. I looked back at Vincent to find him messing around with a CD player. I got up from the couch and looked at him questionably.

"What are you doing, Vincent?"

"Just setting the mood," he said, as slow music began to play over the speakers. He walked over to me and offered his hand.

"You do dance, correct?"

"Of course, I do!" I said, placing my left hand on his shoulder and holding his claw with my right hand.

He chuckled a small amount as he placed his right hand on the small of my back.

We slowly began to sway to the music. It was like some sort of spell was cast over me. I couldn't take my eyes away from Vincent's. I got to a point where I didn't even hear the music anymore. If was just Vincent and I in our own little world.

Sometime, quite a while later, I finally was able to break my eyes away from Vincent' s to look at the clock. It read 11:00. Vincent released me from his grip as the CD ended. He walked over to the player and switched it off. He turned back to me and began to undo his tie.

"Maybe you should call Yuffie. If you wish, you may stay the night here."

"Okay," I said, walking out of the living room and climbing up the stairs carefully.

I walked into the guestroom and picked up my PHS. I dialed Yuffie's number and hoped that she would be asleep. I sighed with relief as the other end picked up.

"Tifa? Is that you?" Yuffie's groggy voice said. Immediately it went away as she began throwing questions at me a mile a minute. "Well, how did it go? What did you guys do?"

"It went really well. We went out to dinner then, oh my gosh, guess what he did when we got back here?"

"Oh my God, Tifa. Did he propose?" Yuffie asked, excitement beginning to bubble in his voice.

"No, and I don't expect him to. We danced in his living room. It was really sweet. No one's ever done that for me before."

"Aw, that's so cool! You're so lucky havin' a guy like Vince!" Yuffie said, sighing.

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna spend the night over here then come and help you pack for the trip home. I'll see you in the morning 'kay, Yuf?"

"Sure, Teef! I'll tell the cubs hi for you. See you later!"

"Bye, Yuffie!" I said, smiling and setting the PHS back down on the bed.

I turned around and walked over to the large chest of drawers and began looking through it for something I could wear to bed. I jumped as Vincent's voice sounded from beside me.

"Looking for these?" He asked, handing me a large black t-shirt with dark blue basketball shorts.

"Oh, thank you. Just what I needed." I took them from his hand and walked over to the bed. I cleared everything off of it and pulled the covers back.

"What are you doing?" He asked, walking towards me.

"Well, um," I said, pointing a finger toward the bed getting ready to tell him that I'd be sleeping here, but my all my thoughts stopped when I saw the look in his eye. "Oh, where would you like me to sleep?"

He looked away and scratched his neck. Taking a deep breath he looked back at me and bit his bottom lip. "If you wouldn't mind that is, would you like to spend the night with me. . . . ." He paused again. "In my room?"

I smiled and looked away. He still was very shy and nervous about saying or doing certain things and to me, that's perfectly normal. I wouldn't expect him to come out and say it right out of the blue. I set the clothes down on the bed and placed my hands on my hips, looking at him with a sly smile.

"Mr. Valentine, what exactly are you implying?" I asked, with a sort of suspicious voice that made him blush and look away. He looked back at me a few moments later and began to open and close his mouth like one moment he knew what he was going to say but then not wanting to say it at all.

I laughed as I watched him for a few moments. I gave him a playful push on the arm. "I know what you mean! Of course I will."

His face relaxed as he realized I didn't want an explanation as he turned around and walked out of the room to leave me to dress in privacy.

I got out of the dress and placed it on the bed then got into the clothes Vincent was letting me borrow. After I was dressed, I flicked the light off in the guest room and walked down the hall to Vincent's room. I walked in and found him finishing putting his tuxedo back in its box. He set the box on the floor then turned around. He nodded as he walked over to his dresser and picked up his brush and took the rubber band that was holding his hair in place out.

I walked over to one side of the bed and snuggled into the covers. Vincent switched the light off and climbed in bed next to me.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"No sweat, Vince! Goodnight!" I said, snuggling my head into his chest and closing my eyes.

"Goodnight, Tifa."


	16. Back To That Place

Disclaimer: Okay, I know I haven't updated in almost a month and that's very un-Jenna like of me but I got bit by the writer's block bug and I it hasn't worn off yet. So here's chapter 16. So sorry that I haven't updated but here's a little something to hold you over until I finish the few last chapters. I might drag this out over three or four chapters but it all depends on if I get over the worst case of writer's block to ever grace the face of the earth. So hope you enjoy this little filler!

* * *

The next morning I woke up and found Vincent gone. I yawned before stretching lazily then getting out of the warm bed. I walked back into the guest room and got back into my clothes then walked downstairs.

I saw Vincent sitting on the couch with the morning paper and a glass of coffee. He looked up at me.

"Good morning," he said, in his usual monotone. "There is more coffee in the kitchen. Help yourself to some."

I nodded then walked into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cupboard then proceeded to fill it to the brim with the hot, black liquid. I walked back into the living room and sat across from Vincent. I picked up the sports section that he had discarded on the coffee table and began reading it.

I looked up as Vincent shifted then folded the paper and set it down on his lap.

"So," he said, taking a sip from his mug of coffee. "How much longer do you get to keep Seto and Nariko?"

"Well, they're about eight months so we get to keep them for another five months before we have to bring them back to the canyon." I paused and looked down at the paper in my hands. An idea popped into my head as I looked back up at Vincent with a wide smile on my face. "Hey, Vincent, why don't you come back down to Cosmo Canyon when Yuffie and I go back to bring the cubs home?"

He raised his eyebrows and stared at his part of the newspaper before shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe I will. Call me and tell me when you're returning."

"Okay," I said, nodding as I leaned back and read more of the sports section.

I finished my mug of coffee then set the paper back down on the coffee table surface. I washed my mug out in the sink then went upstairs and got together all my things that I brought with me to his house.

Afterwards, I carried it all downstairs and set it by the door. Vincent rose from the couch and walked towards me.

"Do you need assistance?"

"Um, sure. Thanks."

I stooped down and picked up the box containing my dress while Vincent picked up my make-up bag and box that held my shoes. He locked his house then followed me to the hotel.

When we arrived, I ascended the stairs and walked to the room. I slowly pushed the door open and walked inside. I set my box down on the bed and Vincent set the two items he was carrying on the bed also.

"Hi, Aunt Tifa!" Nariko said, sitting down in front of me. "I missed you last night."

"Yeah, so did I!" Seto said, joining his sister. "Where'd you go?"

I leaned down and scratched the cub's chins. "I spent the night with Vincent."

Two large smiles slinked onto the red beast's faces.

"Oh," Seto said, smiling in Vincent's direction.

Nariko giggled as she nudged her brother with her paw.

I laughed as I scratched Seto's chest and stood up again. I frowned as I looked around the room.

"Guys, where did Yuffie go?" I asked, looking around the room.

"Uh, she said she was going to go get the chocobos," Nariko said.

"Yeah, that's right," Seto said, nodding.

I put my hands on my hips as I gave the carpet a menacing stare.

"But she left both of you alone! You're only eight months old! What if something would have happened to you?" I asked, kneeling in front of them and placing a hand on their heads.

They both looked away from me. Nariko looked back up at me, looking like she was going to cry.

"We told her, Aunt Tifa!" She said, sniffing. "We told her not to leave us alone but she said that we'd be fine."

"Yeah," Seto said, shuffling closer to me and leaning his left shoulder against me. Nariko did the same. "We tried to tell her but she wouldn't listen. I even told her that you'd get mad."

"Well, it's okay," I said, squeezing both cubs. "As long as you're alright, nothing else matters. It's just that I told Yuffie never to leave you two unattended. You're still too young."

Nariko sniffed again as she stepped away from me. "She's only been gone for a few minutes so we weren't alone that long. Right, Seto?"

"Uh-huh," Seto said, stepping away from me also. "She said she'd be right back."

I sighed as I stood up. "Well, I'll let it slide this time."

I looked over at Yuffie's bag. It was zipped shut and her toiletries bag was sitting on the ground next to it. I looked over at mine to find it packed as well. I smiled wryly as I set my make-up bag next to my duffle along with the dress and shoes.

I looked down at my clothes and realized that I hadn't changed them yet. I opened my bag and took out a pair of tight fitting denim jeans and a black v-necked shirt. I stepped into the bathroom and changed then put my old clothes in my bag and zipped it up.

I stood up and looked over at Vincent. He was sitting on the couch with a passive look on his face.

"Well, Yuffie should be back here pretty soon so I guess-"

I was cut off when the room door opened and Yuffie stepped through. She smiled as she spotted me.

"Hey, Teef! So you're back. Ready to go? I got the chocobos waiting outside and already checked us out."

I nodded as I picked up my duffel bag and both boxes. I looked over at the cubs.

"Come on, guys. Time to go home."

They nodded and followed Yuffie out of the room. Vincent stopped next to me.

"Well, come on," I said, smiling at him.

He nodded and followed me out of the room and out of the hotel. I put my bag and both boxes on Seraph's back and looked at Seto, who was sitting on the ground next to her. He jumped up onto her back and sat down.

I looked over at Vincent and wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed him.

"I'll see you in five months okay? I'll give you a call."

"Okay," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I'll miss you."

I nodded and back up. "I'll miss you too."

He nodded and stepped away from me. I mounted Seraph and looked at Vincent one more time before I spurred her out of Icicle Inn followed closely by Yuffie.


	17. Taping

Disclaimer: And I bet you're saying, "This girl needs to start putting some more Vincent/Tifa action in this story or I'm going on strike!" I hope you're not saying that! I promise you down to the depths that the next few chapters will be MUCH better than these fillers! So I hope you are patient enough to wait until I start writing again. Anywho, still not over my writer's block, but I'm getting a few ideas for the closure of this very story. Hope you enjoy this measly little filler.

* * *

"Seto! Nariko!" I called out to the two red beasts that were sitting under a large tree a few yards in front of me. They looked at me and cocked their heads. I smiled as I looked at them through the small video screen.

"You're ten months old today. How does it feel?"

They looked away from me and began turning and twisting, inspecting their bodies. They looked back at me a few moments later and with a questionable look in his yellow eyes, Seto spoke up.

"I don't know. What's it supposed to feel like?"

I giggled slightly as I turned the camera around so it was looking down at me from an angle. I cocked an eyebrow at the camera before speaking.

"And these are your children, Red?" I said, a bit of sarcasm in my voice. "Oh ho ho, I beg to differ."

I turned the camera back around to where the cubs were sitting to find them gone. I smiled as I panned the camera around.

"Hm, now where did they go now?" I asked the camera. I turned it back around so it was looking down at me again. "Let's go find them."

I slipped my right hand back under the thick leather strap on the camera and began walking towards our small home. I slowly rehearsed in my mind what I would find behind the house.

I would find Yuffie standing in front of Seraph, feeding her, while both Seto and Nariko start sneaking up from behind her. They would tackle her to the ground and start rolling around with her and Yuffie would act like they were killing her.

I almost busted up laughing when I rounded the corner. There was Yuffie feeding Seraph with Seto and Nariko softly sneaking up behind her. Then a few seconds before the cubs were ready to pounce on her, Yuffie's body went rigid as she slowly looked behind her. She screamed and threw the greens she was holding in her hand up into the air before taking off in the opposite direction.

It wasn't long before Seto and Nariko caught up with her and tackled her to the ground. She began screaming and carrying on as the cubs play attacked her. I shouted at them to stop and they left Yuffie in a heap on the ground and walked towards me. I kept the camera on Yuffie and zoomed in. She turned her head towards the camera and muttered a small, raspy "Owie," before getting up and dusting herself off.

I turned the camera off and began laughing. "Oh my goodness, you guys, that was really funny! Come on, let's go inside and tape the next part."

The cubs nodded as Yuffie and I walked into the house. Yuffie escaped into her room to clean herself up before the next portion of the tape. I looked down at the two cubs that were sitting at my feet.

"Okay, guys, you know what to do, right?" I asked, kneeling down in front of them.

Nariko nodded her head. "Yep! Are you ready, Seto?" She said, looking over at her brother.

"You bet I am!"

"Okay, great! Get ready, Yuffie's coming back."

They nodded as they turned to face me. Yuffie walked into the room and sat down at the couch. She gave me a thumbs up before I turned the camera on once again.

I got both of the cubs in the picture before speaking. "Do you remember when we went to visit Uncle Cid and Aunt Shera last month?"

They both nodded and Nariko let out a short giggle. She caught herself though and put back on her serious face.

"Why don't you tell Mom and Dad a few of the Redneck jokes that Uncle Cid told you?"

Seto and Nariko looked at each other as if to ask each other if they should or not before looking back at the camera and nodding. Nariko spoke first.

"You go first, Seto," she said, smiling at her brother.

He nodded before looking at the camera. I zoomed in on his face.

"Okay, here goes," he said, looking down really quick, contemplating which one he should tell. He looked back up into the camera a few moments later. "If you stare at a can of orange juice because it says 'CONCENTRATE' you might be a Redneck."

After Seto finished maniacal laughter was heard in the background. Seto looked back and I lifted the camera and set it on Yuffie. She had fallen out of the chair she was sitting in and was rolling around on the ground holding her stomach.

"Hahaha!! That was so funny! I can't take it! Hahaha!!!"

I put the camera back on Seto and he looked at the camera with a look that said 'give me a break.' He looked over at Nariko.

"Okay, sis. Your turn."

I turned the camera to her as she smiled sweetly. "Okay, um, if you think N-SYNC is where your dirty dishes are you might be a Redneck."

Once again, Yuffie's laughter was heard in the background. I put the camera back on her.

"Hey, Yuf, why don't you tell one?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

Yuffie stopped and looked up at the camera in shock. "Who me?"

"No, the dust bunny you're sitting on. Of course I mean you!"

"Oh, okay!" She said, getting up. "Let's see, um, if you think the Nutcracker is something you do off the High dive you might be a Redneck."

I giggled as I turned the camera towards me. "That was pretty good! Okay, my turn! And Red this may be true for you! If you think fast food is hitting a deer at 65 you might be a Redneck."

I turned the camera back around and was getting ready to shut it off when Yuffie ran up in front of me.

"No, no, no! Don't turn if off yet! I just remembered another one!"

"Okay, shoot," I said, from behind the camera.

Yuffie cleared her throat and stepped back. "If your mother can tell a state trooper to 'kiss her ass' without takin' the Marlboro out of her mouth you might be a Redneck."

I laughed and put the camera on Seto and Nariko. They were rolling around on the ground laughing. I stopped giggling as I turned the camera around once again.

"You may not want Naava, Nova and Kayo listening to this but by the time you watch this it'll be too late so hope you have fun watching the rest!" I smiled and saluted before turning off the video camera.

I began laughing so hard after I turned the camera off that I began to cry. I looked at Yuffie and the cubs and found that they couldn't hold their laughter in either.

I straightened up and cleared my throat. "Oh boy, that was funny. How about we call it a day on the video taping?"

Yuffie got up from her place on the floor and nodded. "Yeah, I'm all for it. Let's get something to eat!"

I set the video camera down on the coffee table then followed Yuffie into the kitchen and began preparing some food for the cubs and I.

After we ate, we went straight to bed. After working at the bar then running around with the cubs for four hours can really wear somebody out.


	18. Everything In Between

**A/N:** Hi all! I'm back! O.o So sorry about not updating in so long! It's just that I'm having a major hard time trying to finish this story. I know what I'm going to do it's just that I need to come up with the stuff in the middle, know what I mean? Well, anyways, I won't keep you any longer. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's much longer than my last two or three so I hope you like it!

* * *

I turned my head as Yuffie walked back through the front door.

"Okay, the next tape is on its way to Cosmo Canyon," she said, sitting down next to me on the couch.  
  
I nodded then looked back at the TV. We had taped the cubs celebrating their first birthday but in reality their one-year is equivalent to only three or four months. Sort of confusing when you think of it.

Yuffie looked over at me with a concerned look on her face. "Teef, what's wrong?"

I looked over at her like I didn't know what she was talking about then I looked back at the TV screen.

I looked back at her and saw that she was waiting for an answer. I sighed. "It's just that it's hard to believe that we're taking the cubs back home in a few weeks. It feels like we only got them yesterday."

Yuffie nodded and smiled as she looked away from me. "You're right. I wish we could keep them longer."

"Yeah, I wish we could too, but when Seta has more cubs we get to keep two more," I said, looking over at Yuffie.

Yuffie nodded her head as she put on a cheeky smile. "You're right, but I don't think I'll be able to wait that long."

"Well, look on the bright side. You get to meet the other three when we go back to Cosmo Canyon."

She nodded again then looked back at the TV. She froze then looked back at me with wide eyes. "Weren't you going to tell Vincent to meet us over there?"

I slapped my forehead. "Oh my gosh, I nearly forgot about that! Should I call him right now?" I said, starting to get up from the couch.

I was almost up before Yuffie's hand clasped around my wrist and pulled me back down.

"No, don't call him yet! Call him a few days before we come down! That way it'll give him just enough time to prepare for it!"

I looked away from her and looked at the far wall. I looked back at her a few moments later and nodded. "Okay."

"Anyways," she said, sitting back on the couch and putting her hands behind her head. "Now all we have to figure out is what we're going for the next few weeks before we go back so we don't loose our minds!"

I nodded and managed a wry smile. "Yeah."

I may have looked like I was getting along fine during those few weeks but I did the exact opposite of what Yuffie said.

I went bonkers, to put it mildly.

I would find myself constantly staring at the clock hanging on the wall of the bar. Travis and Krissy even began to question my sanity. So did all of the other occupants of my quiet little bar. I could tell Yuffie was getting jittery too. She'd spend a lot of her time staring at the wall, nervously bouncing her legs like she had no control over them.

It's kinda funny. When I asked her why she was always doing that she'd say that I was making her that way; that I needed to calm down. I was calm; when I was asleep.

I just about began jumping for joy when there was only two days left. It was like I had been waiting all eternity for this moment and now that it's finally here I couldn't wait.

_Okay, tomorrow afternoon I'll call Vincent and give him the heads up. Then I'll help Yuffie pack and get Seraph and Jinx ready for the trip. Oh gosh, I can't wait!_

"Tifa, where's your duffel?" Yuffie called from her room.

"In the hall," I called back, looking through my old phonebook of everyone's PHS numbers. I found Vincent's and dialed it. Hopefully he still had his; I don't know his home phone number.

I sighed in relief as Vincent picked up on the third ring. "Valentine."

I almost laughed when he answered. His Turk training still hadn't worn off. I smiled as I decided to screw around with him. I tried to disguise my voice so he wouldn't recognize it.

"Yes, Mr. Valentine, I'm Pattie Greenway, a reporter for the daily paper. Would you like to tell us about the young woman many of the townsfolk saw you with a few months ago?"

_Oh God, I still hope he's living in Icicle Inn!_

He was silent for many moments. "What about her?" He asked, almost reluctantly.

I had to hold back from busting up laughing. "Tell me about her."

"Well." He paused. "She's very beautiful and smart. She's extremely kind and caring towards me and, well, there really is nothing more to say."

"What's this mystery woman's name?" I asked, trying to stay in character.

"Her name's Tifa Lockheart."

"Tifa, huh?" I said, as I paused and acted like I was scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "That's a very pretty name." I stopped and covered my mouth.

Then it all came out. I began laughing so hard that I almost fell out of the chair that I was sitting in. I calmed down and listened for Vincent on the other end. After many moments his voice was heard.

"May I ask what that was about?" He asked, his voice agitated.

"Vincent, it's me! Tifa!" I said, still laughing.

I stopped again and I thought he had hung up on me. I was getting ready to redial the number when I heard him clear his throat.

"I hope you know that that wasn't very funny."

"From my perspective it was," I said, taking a deep breath. "So, how have you been doing?"

"I've been surviving."

"We have to take Seto and Nariko back home tomorrow," I said, hoping that that statement would ring a bell in his mind. His answer left my mouth gaping.

"I am already in Cosmo Canyon. I will await your arrival."

"Uh, what do you mean?" I asked, sort of shocked.

"I mean what I mean. What time do you expect to be arriving tomorrow?"

"We should be getting there mid afternoon. That is if we leave on schedule."

"I will see you then," he said.

"Okay, bye," I said, putting a smile in my voice.

"Goodbye."

I closed the PHS and saw Yuffie standing in the hall doorway.

"What?" I asked.

"I thought you had gone crazy out here," she said, smiling a bit. "I thought the heat was getting to you."

I giggled as I stood up and pocketed my PHS. "No, I was just screwing around with Vincent."

"Well, I'm gonna go to the bank and take some gil out. Why don't you feed Jinx and Seraph and make sure they're ready to ride?" She asked, looking at me hopefully.

"Sure. Where are the cubs?" I asked, looking around.

"They're in their favorite spot; in your room sleeping on your bed."

"Just leave them alone then. They've been bouncing all over the place for the past week. About time they got some rest," I said, following Yuffie out of the house.

After feeding the chocobos I went back in that house and grabbed my duffel then set it by Yuffie's out in the living room. I looked over at the analog clock that hung above the entertainment center. It was early, way to early. Only 3:24. I looked at Yuffie as she walked back in the house then looked towards the hall.

"Is there anything else we need?" I asked, my brow creasing a small amount.

Yuffie looked down at the floor and stared at her shoes in thought. She looked back up at me and shook her head.

"Nope. Nothing I can think of anyways," she said, turning around and settling herself on the couch.

I gently kicked at the ground. "I'm gonna go crazy by tomorrow."

Yuffie gently laughed as she leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees. "You got it bad."

I scoffed as I looked away from her. "No, I don't." _Yes, I do. Oh God, I got it real bad. _

"Yeah, right. I can see right through that lie."

I looked over at her. She had hit it right on. I shook my head and looked down at my feet.

Yuffie stood. "Yep, I thought so. Don't try to deny it, Teef. Vince loves you and you love him. That's all there is to it."

I looked back up at her and gave her glance that said to drop the subject. I know that Vincent loves me but I still don't know if I could love him the way he loves me. I feel extremely deep feelings for him, but I don't know, maybe I need a little push in the right direction to realize that I do love him.

Yuffie sighed deeply. "Whatever, Teef. Just don't mess up with Vincent like you did with Cloud. I can tell Vincent loves you by the way he always looks at you. Cloud, well, sometimes I had to ask myself if Cloud was completely sane."

I smiled slightly and looked over to the hallway entrance to find both cubs standing there looking quite sleepy. Seto looked over at me and blinked a few times.

"Are we leaving?" He asked, looking around quite confused.

I smiled widely as I walked towards him and kneeled in front of both of them.

"No," I said, sweetly, scratching their chins. "We're leaving tomorrow. Why don't you two go back to bed?"

"Okay," he said, yawning. "Night, night, Aunt Tifa."

Nariko yawned and gave me a lick on the cheek before following her brother back into my room. I got up and looked back at Yuffie. She had a wide smile on her face.

"What?" I asked, stopping in front of her.

"Sometimes I think that you're their mother," she said, pushing back a few loose strands of her short, dark hair.

"Well, I've been around them since they were born. If they were told that I wasn't a part of their family they wouldn't believe it."

Yuffie nodded then stretched and yawned. "You know what? I think we should get some sleep now then leave, like, really early in the morning and give Red a surprise."

I looked over at the clock then had the sudden urge to yawn. I looked back at Yuffie and shrugged. "Why not? The question is how early we should leave."

"How about three in the morning? That way we'll be at Cosmo Canyon mid morning."

I nodded. "Sure. Well, I'm exhausted. I'll be going to sleep now."

"Yeah, me too. See you tomorrow, Teef," she said, walking into her room and closing the door.

I laughed as I walked into my room and cuddled up on my bed with the cubs. I instantly feel asleep once my head hit the pillow.

I slowly opened my eyes when I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder and saying my name. I looked around the room confused then looked over at the small digital clock that was sitting on my bedside table. It was two in the morning. I looked back at the person who woke me up and found Yuffie standing there.

"Hey, Teef!" She announced, turning the lights on, temporarily blinding me for a few seconds. "Get ready to leave! We gotta be outta here before three!"

I yawned then got out of my warm bed. I grabbed a pair of baggy khaki cargo pants and a short-sleeved blue v-neck shirt. I put on a clean pair of socks then put my boots on. I quickly ran a brush through my hair then looked back at Yuffie.

"Ready?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward slightly.

"Where are the cubs?" I asked, looking back at my bed.

"They're out on the chocobos sleeping. Come on, I already got the duffels."

I nodded and followed Yuffie out of the house. I climbed on Seraph's back behind the sleeping body of Seto and waited while Yuffie locked the place up.

I yawned and gently patted Seto on the top of the head. Yuffie climbed on Jinx's back and stopped next to me. I nodded and led Seraph out of Wutai.

We stayed silent for the majority of the trip. Seto and Nariko slept until the sun rose. When we were about five miles away from the coast of Cosmo Canyon Yuffie called a halt. I stopped Seraph and turned her around. Yuffie was looking around in her bag.

"What are you looking for?" I asked, making Seraph walk towards Jinx and stop next to him.

Yuffie pulled a small water bottle out of her bag and smiled in triumph. She pulled the cap off and choked down half the bottle before putting it back in her bag. She sighed in content as she wiped her mouth.

"That's much better. Okay, let's go."

I nodded then turned Seraph around and spurred her towards Cosmo Canyon. I smiled as it came into view on the horizon. I squeezed Seraph's reins tighter as I dug the heels of my boots into her sides making her go faster.

Moments later, I walked Seraph into a stall in the canyon's stables then picked up my duffel that I had set on the ground. I sighed as I walked up the stone steps that led into the canyon and began the ascent to the Observatory.

By the time we were outside the front door the cubs were shaking with anticipation. Instead of knocking I just opened the door and let Nariko and Seto run inside. I followed them in and found that their siblings, Naava, Kayo and Nova, had already surrounded them.

Red padded up to me followed closely by Seta. Both of them had wide smiles plastered on their faces. Seta came up to me and sat in front of me. I kneeled down in front of her.

"I am overjoyed the Nariko and Seto are back home. They have much to tell us. Thank you so much for taking care of them so well," she said, her smile growing bigger by the second.

"Yes, Tifa," Red said, sitting down next to his mate. "We cannot wait to hear their stories."

"I assure you that there are a lot of them," I said, smiling at them and scratching their chins.

"How long were you planning on staying?" Red asked, looking from me to Yuffie.

I looked back at Yuffie and she shrugged. I looked back at Red and shook my head.

"A few days maybe."

"Aunt Tifa!" Nova cried, running towards me.

I kneeled down on the floor and wrapped my arms around him. Seconds later, all five cubs surrounded me. Their little voices shouted 'hi' and 'how are you?' After giving each one of them a hug, I stood up again and watched as the cubs ran outside to play. I looked down and saw Nova sitting at my feet.

"What's wrong, Nova?"

"Can I stay with you and Aunt Yuffie?" He asked, making puppy dog eyes.

"Of course you can," I said, scratching his ear. I turned to Red. "Can Yuffie and I stay upstairs?"

"Of course," he replied. "Make yourselves at home."

"Thanks, Red," I said, picking up my duffel from its place on the floor and walking towards the small wooden ladder.

I began my ascent of the ladder with Yuffie right behind but stopped dead in my tracks when I stepped into the small guest room.

Yuffie poked her head around me. "Hey, Teef? What's-"She stopped short.

I looked down and cleared my throat before looking back up at the dark figure sitting in the back of the room.

Nova nuzzled his fuzzy head against one of my hands, sensing my unease. What I saw, I would have never believed, lest it was under different circumstances.

Vincent was sitting in the back of the room, but something was different about him. He still wore the same black clothes with the exception of the red cape.

The first thing I noticed once I set my eyes on him was his hair. It was still fairly long but now it stopped at his neck. I was trying to tell myself to stop staring at him but now that his hair isn't covering most of his face, it's hard _not_ to look at him.

I shook my head vigorously sending long strands of hair cascading over my shoulders and face. I looked back up and brushed the chocolate strands back behind my shoulders. I opened my mouth to say something but stopped abruptly when Vincent rose from his chair and walked towards me.

He enveloped me in a warm hug and I reacted immediately, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly.

"I missed you," he whispered, backing away from me and holding me at arm's length.

I smiled at him, still finding it hard to stop staring. "I missed you too."

I stepped back as Yuffie walked around and began looking Vincent up and down, walking in circles around him. Vincent looked at her questionably.

"What are you doing?"

Yuffie stopped next to him her index finger resting on her chin. She looked up at him.

"You sure don't look like the Vincent I know," she said, looking up and down his body.

"Oh really?" He said, straightening. "What makes you think that?"

"Well," she said, walking around behind him and stopping on his left side. "For one, you don't have the long red cape and for two, you're hair is much shorter," she said, grabbing a strand of Vincent's much shorter hair.

Vincent reached up and swatted her hand away with his claw and looked over at her with what I like to call the 'Vincent glare.'

"Well, I could be wrong," she whimpered, dashing behind me once again. "Why'd you cut your hair anyways?" She asked, poking her head out from behind mine.

He shrugged his shoulders and ran his right hand through his hair. "It was much harder to take care of then I originally thought."

"Oh," Yuffie said, like it was the most obvious thing.

"Tifa?"

I turned and looked down the ladder to find Red staring back up at me.

"What's up?"

"Could you, Yuffie and Vincent come down for a moment? I have something I wish to tell you."

"Sure," I said, setting my bag down and climbing down the ladder.

I followed Red into the living room and sat down on the couch. Yuffie and Vincent sat next to me. Nova sat down at my feet and rubbed the side his face against my knee. I smiled and patted him a few times on the head before looking up at Red.

"Tomorrow night I'd like to have a welcome home party for Nariko and Seto. I'd like both you and Yuffie to stand with them just like you did last time, Tifa."

"Okay," I said, looking over at Yuffie. "How 'bout it, Yuf?"

"Fine with me," she said, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head.

"Alright," Red said, smiling. "Well, if you want you may go down and get something to eat at the Starlet pub. It won't cost you anything. I told the manager that you could eat there for free."

"Oh, Red," I said, getting up from the couch and kneeling in front of him. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I wanted to. For taking care of Nariko and Seto."

"Thanks, Red," I said, giving him a hug.

"No thanks needed."

I smiled at him again then followed Yuffie and Vincent out of the Observatory.


	19. Silent Thoughts

**A/N: **Hi all! Thank you to everybody for the wonderful reviews. Oh, and **vincent/tifafan13** (if you're reading this), your idea for the ending of the story was a wonderful idea! Thank you so much (once again) for the great idea! And as always, I'll dedicate the chapter or chapters in which I use your ideas in to YOU!!!! I can't thank you enough! All your ideas are so great! I hope all of you like this chapter! I'll have the next one out soon!

* * *

We walked down to the Starlet pub and the manager, a tall, lean man with dark hair and brown eyes, greeted us warmly.

"Good evening! You wouldn't be Tifa Lockheart, Yuffie Kisaragi and Vincent Valentine would you?"

I nodded. "We would."

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Bryan!" He said, thrusting his bony hand my way.

I took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you too, Bryan."

"Come, let's get you seated," he said, grabbing three menus and leading us to a small table in the back. "Please, order anything you wish. No charge!" He said, before rushing off.

I picked up my menu and began flipping through it. After settling for a Caesar Salad and a Grilled Chicken sandwich I set my menu down and began sipping at the water that Bryan had brought us. Many moments later, Bryan returned, took our orders and scuttled off to turn them in.

I slowly looked around the room for a few moments before setting my water down and staring at my placemat, my arms crossed in thought.

"What's up, Teef?" Yuffie asked, resting her hand lightly on my shoulder.

"Oh, nothing," I said, patting her hand reassuringly. "I just have a lot on my mind right now."

Yuffie nodded and continued looking at nothing in particular. Bryan brought our food then disappeared once again. I picked at my salad and barely touched my sandwich. Yuffie even asked me if I was sick. I told her that I wasn't all that hungry to begin with. I could tell that Vincent was a little worried about me too. From time to time he'd nervously tap the index finger of his claw on the table or tap his foot.

After I finished one half of my chicken sandwich I excused myself from the table and walked to the bathroom. I didn't have to go but I just needed to be alone for a bit.

I pushed the door open and walked over to the sink. I washed my hands then splashed water onto my face. I wiped my face off and stared at my reflection in the mirror. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, looking down.

_Come on, Lockheart! This is supposed to be a joyous occasion, not a funeral! You're back together with the man you lo-wait! Do I love him? Do I feel as strongly for him as he does for me? You know, you'd think I'd already have it figured out by now. But, really, I still don't know if I love him. I'm overjoyed to see him but.... I don't know. Maybe there's something wrong with me. Maybe the answers right in front of me but I'm too blind to see it. _

I looked at the door as someone walked in and wasn't the least bit surprised when Yuffie began walking towards me. She had a genuine look of concern on her face as she gently laid a hand on my shoulder once again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, for the tenth time that night. I was touched that she was so worried about me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, laying my hand on hers. "It was just really hard to think out there. I needed a little time to myself."

"And you came in the bathroom?" Yuffie said, a bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, it's the only place I could go besides outside. Come on, let's go back."

Yuffie nodded and walked out of the bathroom and back over to the table. Vincent was sitting quietly, twiddling his thumbs. He straightened up when Yuffie and I joined him.

"Why don't we go back to the Observatory?" I said, stretching. "I'm getting a little sleepy."

Yuffie nodded and agreed. "Yeah, let's go. I'm tired too."

We left the Starlet pub and began walking back up to the Observatory. Once we arrived, Yuffie walked in but Vincent halted me at the door, saying he wanted to talk with me. I agreed and wrapped my hands around my upper arms. For Cosmo Canyon in the fall, the nights are surprisingly chilly.

Vincent shoved his hands into his pockets and turned around. He walked towards the railing and looked up into the night sky. I took this chance to stifle a yawn. If Vincent knew I was extremely tired he wouldn't say what he wanted to say.

I stood behind him silently and quietly watched him. Every now and then he'd take his hands out of his pockets, run a hand through his hair then return his hands to where they were before. He cleared his throat a few times then turned around, leaned against the railing and crossed his arms. He looked down at his feet before straightening and walking towards me.

He stopped in front of me and gently took a long strand of hair in his claw and wrapped his human hand around mine. He looked up at me then looked back down at the rocky earth beneath us.

I reached up and gently touched his face with my right hand. "What's wrong, Vincent?" I said, faintly, barely loud enough for him to hear.

He wet his lips and his grip on my hand became slightly tighter. "You know I love you more then life itself, but I've been thinking." He paused and licked his lips once more. "Sometimes I don't know if what I'm feeling for you is real, like all of it is a dream. Sometimes I expect myself to wake up, like it's too good to be true."

He lowered his head like he was ashamed of what he had just said. I bit my bottom lip then wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. His body relaxed as he wrapped his arms protectively around my waist. He buried his head in my hair and wove the fingers of his mechanical hand through the chocolate strands.

I bit my lip once again as the phrase "silence means guilt" popped into my mind. Hopefully he wasn't getting the wrong impression out of all of this.

He slowly unhooked his arms from around me and I gently backed away from him. I touched his cheek and gave him a smile before grabbing his human hand and leading him inside.

Naava's voice filled my ears as soon as I stepped inside. She was sitting in front of Red, obviously arguing with him about something.

"But, Daddy!" She pouted, stomping her small paw. "I don't want to wear a headdress!"

"You have to," Red said, calmly. "This is Seto and Nariko's ceremony and I want all of you to look nice. Besides, the headdress you'll be wearing was passed down from your great-grandfather. Because you're my oldest daughter, you get to wear it."

"But what will Nariko wear?" She asked, sounding somewhat interested.

"She'll be wearing my mother's headdress. It was one of her favorites. Seto will be wearing one of my father's headdresses. My father passed it down to me and because Seto is my oldest son he gets the privilege to wear it."

"What about Nova and Kayo?"

"They'll be wearing the new ones their mother bought them just recently. Because all my old headdresses are to big for both of them she had to buy them their own."

"When will I get my own?" She asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I'm still thinking on that one, but you will have your own someday. Don't worry."

"Okay, Daddy."

"Now run along," Red said, getting up and tapping her left side with his paw. "It's way past your bedtime."

"Night, Daddy," she said, scampering into the Observatory Room.

Red saw us and smiled warmly as he padded towards us. He sat and lazily scratched an ear then stretched and shook his mane, tossing long strands of fire red hair this way and that.

"Well, what were you two up to?"

I shook my head quickly. "Nothing. Vincent just had to talk to me."

"Very well," Red said, not pushing the subject. "We'll be holding the ceremony tomorrow evening at five o'clock. If it isn't too much trouble, could you help the cubs with putting their headdresses on?"

"Of course!" I said, smiling, despite my fatigue. "Just show me how."

"Seta and I will be glad to tomorrow. I will see both of you in the morning," he said, turning around and disappearing through the same door his daughter did a few minutes ago.

I turned and looked at Vincent. "You gonna go to bed?"

He nodded and walked past me. He stopped a few paces in front of me though and turned to look at me. He reached out his mechanical arm and I gingerly placed my hand into his. He squeezed my hand gently and led me to the ladder.

"Where are you sleeping?"

"Down here. On the couch," he said, circling his arms around my waist.

"Okay," I said, nodding as I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him.

I backed away from him and slowly climbed up the ladder. I stepped off it and looked around the room. Yuffie was already in her bedclothes. She was sitting on the bed reading a book.

Yuffie lifted her head and looked at me. "Well, about time. I was gettin' ready to go make sure you two were okay."

"Vincent needed to talk with me," I said, getting out a pair of black cloth shorts and a blue tank top. I quickly dressed and began running a brush through my hair.

"Did you tell him?"

I sighed as I set the brush down on the bedside table. I shook my head. "No."

Yuffie let out a frustrated sigh as she rose from the bed. "Come on, Tifa! Quit being so naive! You know Vincent loves you but you're too full of yourself to realize it!"

I sank down onto the couch and hung my head. Yuffie was right. She was one hundred percent right. I looked back up at Yuffie and rose from the couch. "Thanks, Yuf," I said, hugging her. "I really needed that."

"Hey, anytime!" She said, hugging me back. "Now come on, let's get to bed! I'm bushed!"

I nodded and climbed in bed beside Yuffie. I flicked off the light and snuggled into soft sheets as sleep overtook me.


	20. Moonlight

**A/N: **Okay, here is the next chapter! Hooray!!!! :O Oh, no! I'm almost done with this story! Waaaaah! Well, enough of my blabber! I hope you like this chapter! It's longer then most just like everyone likes it! Oh, and lots of Vin/Tifa action in this chapter! Don't go away!

Oh, and **Vincent/Tifafan13's **plan comes into play a small amount in this chapter! I hope you like what I did with it **Vincent/Tifafan13! **This chapter and the next one are for you!!!! Enjoi!

* * *

I woke the next morning to find Yuffie already gone, so I took my time getting out of bed. Once up, I quickly ran the brush through my hair before grabbing a fresh set of clothes and taking a quick shower. Afterwards, I put my hair in a towel, got dressed and climbed down the ladder.

Yuffie was sitting at the table, conversing with Red, holding a cup of coffee in her hands. She looked back at me and smiled warmly.

"Hey, Teef! Sleep good?"

"Yes, actually," I said, sitting down next to her. I pointed to the steamy mug in her hand. "Where'd you get that?"

She pointed behind her and I found that there was a mug already made. I rose from the table and grabbed it by the handle before sitting back down. I gently blew over the top of the liquid before taking a small sip. I set the mug down and looked at Red.

"So, when do I need to start dressing the cubs up?"

"Oh, not until much later," Red said, looking at a small clock hanging on the wall. It read 12:O5. "Seta and I will assist you once it's almost time for the ceremony."

"Okay," I said, nodding my head. I turned to Yuffie. "Once my hair dries you wanna go get something to eat?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, stretching her arms above her head.

I got up from the table and flipped my head upside down. I removed the towel from my hair and gently worked my fingers through the long chocolate strands. I straightened up and began running my fingers through my hair once again in an attempt to help it dry faster.

"Tifa, you seriously have too mush hair," Yuffie said, rising from the table. "Why don't you cut it?"

"I can't do that," I said, still running my fingers through my hair.

"Why not?"

"It would feel weird. I've lived practically all my life with long hair. Maybe I'll get a few inches taken off, I don't know," I said, turning around and climbing back up the ladder.

I grabbed the blow dryer that Yuffie had brought with her and began the very long and tedious task of drying my hair. As I stood there waiting for the hot air to dry my hair, a few thoughts popped into my head.

_Why don't I cut my hair? It'll only get harder to take care of as I get older. Maybe next time I go to get my hair trimmed I'll get it cut a few inches shorter. _

I turned off the blow dryer, unplugged it from the wall and set it on the bed. I grabbed my brush and ran all the tangles out then went back down stairs. Yuffie and I walked out of the Observatory and as we were heading towards the Starlet Pub, something occurred to me. I turned and looked at Yuffie.

"Do you know where Vincent went?"

Yuffie stopped and looked at the ground, tapping her foot thoughtfully. A moment later she looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.

"I was downstairs when he left. I asked him where he was going but all he said was that there were a few things he needed to take care of. Do you know what he meant by that?"

"If you don't know, I don't know. Come on," I said, patting her on the back. "Let's go get something to eat."

We walked into the Starlet Pub and sat down at the bar. The bartender, a young man looking only to be nineteen or twenty years old, stopped in front of us.

"What can I get for you lovely ladies?" He asked, smiling at Yuffie and I.

Yuffie leaned forward and put her right hand palm down on the bar. "How about two of those breakfast burritos you guys are always bragging about?"

The young bartender nodded his head and walked into the kitchen. I turned to Yuffie and gave her the critical eye.

"Yuffie are you sure you don't know where Vincent went?"

Yuffie nodded her head. "Absolutely," she said, confidently. A second later, she rose her right hand in the air. "I swear to you on my love for materia."

"Okay, you better not be screwing around with me, Yuf," I said, as the bartender brought Yuffie and I our burritos.

"Enjoy!" He said, before walking away.

Yuffie and I quickly ate our burritos, left some gil on the counter for the bartender then left. I stopped in front of the Cosmo Candle and I lifted my left wrist up to look at my watch. It was only 1:30. I wouldn't need to start getting the cubs ready for about another hour or two. I sighed as I shoved my hands into my pockets.

"Hey, why don't we go check on Seraph and Jinx?" Yuffie suggested, putting her hands behind her head.

I nodded. "Okay, let's go."

Yuffie and I left the canyon and walked over to the chocobo stables. I walked into Seraph's stall and giggled when I saw her curled up on a little mound of straw in the back. I leaned down and gently stroked the golden feathers on the top of her head. Seraph opened her eyes and warked happily when she set her dazzling blue eyes on me.

She flapped her small wings and got up. She bent down and sniffed my hands for greens then she set her head on my shoulder. I laughed as I picked up her head in my hands and scratched her chin.

I grabbed a handful of greens from a nearby bucket and held them out for her. She chirped and flapped her wings before taking the greens from my hand. I pet her a little while longer before leaving her stall.

Yuffie was already waiting outside Jinx's stall for me. I stopped next to her and looked at my watch. It was a little after two o'clock.

"Why don't we go back to the Observatory? I'm gonna ask Red and Seta if I can start dressing the cubs up."

"Okay," Yuffie said, shoving her hands in her pockets.

We walked into the Observatory and I smiled when I saw Vincent sitting on the floor trying to play with Kayo who was lying on his back, batting Vincent's hands. Vincent looked up at me then rose from the floor, dusting his pants off. I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Where were you?" I asked, looking into his deep red eyes.

Vincent looked from my eyes to Yuffie, who was standing behind me. And if I would have turned around I would have seen Yuffie take her thumb and index finger and slide them across her mouth, pretending to pull a zipper shut.

"I just had a few things to take care of. Come, Red and Seta wish to see you," he said, taking my hand and leading me into the Observatory room.

Red and Seta were sitting side by side watching the cubs roll around on the floor when we walked in. The cubs saw me and all of them dashed over and tackled me to the floor. I sat up and gave each cub a hug and scratch on the chin before standing and walking towards Red.

"Wonderful timing, Tifa," Red said, ruffling his mane. "Why don't we get started?"

I nodded my head. "Okay."

"Come this way, please," Red said, getting up and padding over to a table that held all five headdresses. He told me which ones were which and how to clip them into the cub's manes. "Oh, and don't forget to put beads in Nariko and Naava's mane."

I nodded and began to gather all the clips and beads for Nariko's headdress. I turned and sat in a chair then called for Nariko. She padded over and sat in front of me then I began clipping all the different parts of the headdress into her mane. Once I was done with that, I began sliding the beads through small strands of her fire red hair.

I repeated the pattern on Naava then again on Seto, Nova and Kayo sans the beads, that is, unless they wanted them. And all three of them wanted beads. Once I finished with all the cubs there was only about forty-five minutes left until the ceremony.

I sighed as I walked out of the Observatory room with the cubs and watched as Red and Seta inspected my work. Seta looked up at me with a grand smile on her animal features.

"Wonderful job, Tifa!" She said, padding towards me. I leaned down and gave her a warm hug. "You did such a wonderful job with the cubs!"

"Oh, you're welcome!" I said, hugging her again. "I enjoyed doing it."

Red came over and sat next to Seta. "Now what I want you to do is wait with Seto and Nariko inside the Starlet Pub until I call for you. Then I want you to walk out with them and stand by Seta and I. We'll take it from there."

"Doesn't sound that hard," I said, kneeling down next to Seto and Nariko, patting them on the back.

"We'll leave in a few moments," Red said, getting up to go talk to the other three cubs.

I turned around and gave Vincent a quick smile before going upstairs to put on some nicer clothes.

I went over to my back and pulled out a nice light pink halter-top and a pair of nice denim pants with a pink sash belt. I dressed then ran my brush through my hair. Vincent called up to me from downstairs.

"Are you decent?"

"Yeah, come on up," I said, grabbing my favorite teardrop earrings and putting them in. I grabbed my makeup bag and walked in the bathroom just as Vincent stepped off the ladder. He stopped in the doorway and watched me.

After a few moments of silence he cleared his throat and walked up behind me. I closed my mascara bottle and set it back in my bag. I grabbed my eyeliner but stopped when Vincent's right hand gently gripped my side. I didn't stop because his touch surprised me; I stopped because his hand was shaking. I grabbed his hand and slowly turned around, staring into his dark crimson eyes.

"Vincent, what's wrong?" I asked, gently placing my hand on his cheek. He looked into my eyes then looked back down to the floor. He took a deep breath then took both of my hands into his. From that moment I knew what was wrong. He looked up into my eyes then he did something I wasn't expecting.

He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and placed his lips on mine in a passionate kiss. I knew what he was trying to tell me and it broke my heart. As if on instinct, I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

He backed away from me and opened his mouth to speak but I put my hand over his mouth to stop him.

"I know what you're going to say," I said, slowly removing my hand from his mouth. "You need to know if I love you or not."

Vincent lowered his head and after a few moments nodded it feebly. I continued with a shaky voice.

"I swear to you that I'll tell you tonight. I know it's taken me a long time I don't want to rush this."

"Tifa, I love you. Isn't that enough?" He asked, his eyes starting to get misty.

"Of course it is!" I said, putting both my hands on his face. "It's more then enough. It's just that I've been hurt too many times in the past. I don't want this to turn out the same way."

"Tifa, I told you I'd never hurt you," he said, his voice beginning to break.

"I know, I know," I said, staring into his eyes hard. "I swear I'll tell you tonight. After the cub's ceremony. I promise."

He lowered his eyes and nodded then kissed me once last time before leaning against the door jam to wait for me to get ready. I looked down at my watch as I picked up my eyeliner. It was only 4:30. I still had enough time.

I finished putting my makeup on then left the Observatory with Vincent. He joined the small crowd that was gathering in front of the Cosmo Candle while I went into the Starlet Pub. Seta and Red were there with all five cubs.

"Oh, good," Red said, rising up on all fours. "You're here. Are you ready?"

"Ready," I said, smiling.

"We'll start a little early then," he said, turning back to his mate.

Seto, Nariko and I backed off to the side as Red, Seta and the other three cubs walked out. The door shut behind them and I figured that when Red called us he'd have someone open the door. I stooped down in between the cubs and scratched their ears.

"Is there a certain order that we're supposed to walk out in?" I asked, looking at both of them.

Seto nodded. "You're supposed to walk out in front of us while Nariko and I walk side by side behind you. Then you're supposed to stop next to mom and dad while we sit in front of them."

I nodded. "Okay, I can do that," I said, rising.

A few minutes later the door opened and I walked out of the pub with the two cubs following behind me. I stopped next to Seta and watched as they came around and sat in front of me. Red looked at me before continuing.

"This young woman has faithfully guarded my children these past nine months and for that Seta and I are eternally grateful. The cubs think of her as a part of the family and so do Seta and I. Tifa assisted me in the time of Sephiroth and Meteor and now she is more important to my family and I then she was those years ago. We hope that she will help us more in the future as Seta and I have more cubs. Thank you all for coming. Enjoy your evening."

I followed Red, Seta and all five cubs back behind the Cosmo Candle. People began walking up and petting the cubs. I carried on conversations with many of the townspeople and by the time that everyone had left the sun had already set and the sky had already begun to darken. I was getting ready to return to the Observatory when Vincent came up to me.  
  
"Would you like to take a walk?" He asked, offering his arm.

"Sure," I said, linking my arm through his.

He led me out of the canyon and past the chocobo stables until we had almost reached the grasslands. We sat down on a small patch of dead grass. A chill wind began to pick up and in my absence of shirt, I couldn't stop myself from beginning to shiver. Vincent got up and sat behind me, wrapping his muscular arms around my waist. I put my hands on top of his and snuggled into his embrace.

He put his mouth next to my ear. "Did I tell you how much I missed you?"

"Tell me," I said, leaning into him a little more.

He began telling me and as he spoke I began thinking. This man really did love me. I've heard him say it time and time again but his words never really had such an impact on me until now. It was like someone had pulled the wool away from my eyes.

I turned around and gently placed my fingers over his lips to silence him. His eyebrows knitted together and his deep crimson eyes held puzzlement. I took my fingers away from his mouth and gently leaned towards him. I brushed my lips against his and put my hand on his cheek. He began to kiss me back, slowly and carefully at first but then faster and more passionately.

He broke away from me and looked at me with the same kind of bafflement and confusion that was in his eyes mere minutes ago.

"What was the purpose of that?" He asked, confusion in his voice as well.

"I love you, Vincent. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face into the black fabric of his shirt.

He chuckled a small amount. "I thought you'd never say that," he said, quietly.

I looked up at him and smiled as he kissed me again. I turned back around and snuggled back into him. I stared up at the stars for a while before falling asleep. When I woke up again Vincent was carrying me back to Cosmo Canyon. I looked around, confused, before laying my head back on his shoulder and going back to sleep.

What seemed like only a few minutes later someone was shaking my shoulder, telling me to wake up.

I blinked my eyes and looked around. I was lying on the couch in the Observatory with Yuffie looking down at me.

"Tifa?" She asked, a worried look on her face. "What did you do to Vincent?"

I frowned. What did she mean by that? "What do you mean?" I asked, sitting up.

"When he brought you back he put you on the couch then dashed out of here again with the most un-Vincent like expression on his face. Where were you guys?"

"We went for a walk," I said, stifling a yawn.

"Did you tell him?" Yuffie asked, anticipation dripping from her voice.

I smiled and nodded my head. Yuffie squealed in delight. "Oh, Tifa! Vincent must have been so happy!"

"He was. He couldn't stop smiling, at least from what I could see," I said, stretching, then rising from the couch. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight. You should get some sleep. We gotta go back to Wutai tomorrow."

I climbed the ladder up to the second floor and dressed into my bedclothes.

"Are you gonna come to bed?" I asked Yuffie as I slipped beneath the covers.

"Yeah, in a little bit. I'm gonna wait for Vincent. He said he was gonna be back soon. See you in the morning, Teef," she said, descending the ladder.

I went to sleep and not once did I suspect foul play. A few hours later, unbeknownst to me for I was in L:aLa Land, Vincent and Yuffie were talking downstairs.

"Calm down, Vinnie," Yuffie said, "Tifa doesn't know about any of this."

"Are you confident?" Vincent asked for possibly the hundredth time that night.

"One hundred percent. Now come on! Operation: Rose Petal is about to begin!"


	21. The Surprise Of A Lifetime

**A/N: **YAY!!!!!! OMG, I can't believe I'm done with this story! In this chapter, **Vincent/Tifafan13's **suggestion to me comes into play full force. I hope you all like the ending to this story! I couldn't have been able to finish it without all the reviews I received from everyone!

Oh, and I'm gonna be writing a sequel to this story, maybe. I have a really good idea for a sequel I just have to think on it a little bit more. While you're waiting for that, all of you who haven't read all my other work can go check them out. I just updated a new story last night and I'd like to get a little feedback on it. So, without further to do, I hope you enjoy the last chapter of Life, As It Is Now!

* * *

Yuffie followed Vincent outside where two-dozen rose bouquets sat then began carrying them all up to where I was sleeping. Then Vincent took all twelve roses from three bouquets and spread the petals on top of me then began making a trail from the Observatory downstairs. Once he reached the door he set the remaining roses in a vase next to the door and turned to Yuffie. 

"Have you spread the word?"

"You bet," Yuffie said, putting on a goofy smile. "Everyone knows."

"Good," Vincent said, nodding, inspecting his work. "Careful not to step on any of the petals. I will wake you when I get up and we'll finish the work in the morning."

"Did you leave her the note?" Yuffie asked, checking her pockets.

Vincent fished into one of his pockets and pulled out a small note, holding it in front of Yuffie's nose. "Right here."

"Okay, go upstairs and leave it. I'm camping out with Red and Seta tonight. Be careful not to wake her up. It'll ruin the surprise big time."

"No worries," Vincent said, ascending the ladder.

He quietly tiptoed over to the small table in the middle of the room and set the note down. Then returned downstairs and fell asleep on the couch with a large smile on his face.

That morning when I woke up and, even before I was totally awake, I noticed something different about the room. No, more like _smelled. _

I slowly opened my eyes and about screamed at what I saw. The entire room was full of rose bouquets. I slowly pulled back the covers on the bed and noticed that I was covered with some of the dark red rose petals. I brushed them all off of me and rose from the bed.

I inhaled the sweet scent of the roses and walked around the room inspecting them. All of them were in full bloom. I turned and spotted a small note that was carefully set in between two bouquets. I picked it up, unfolded it and immediately recognized Vincent's handwriting.

_Tifa,_

_When you get this, meet me down near the Cosmo Candle. I have a surprise for you. _

_Vincent_

I set the note back on the table and began to walk toward the ladder when I stepped on something soft. I looked down and found that there was a trail of rose petals leading down. I followed them downstairs and almost began to cry when I saw that they continued out the door. I followed the trail of rose petals all the way down to the Cosmo Candle. When I arrived, I was shocked to find that the whole town had gathered around where Vincent, Yuffie, Red and Seta were standing. I almost jumped when the entire crowd turned and began pointing and saying, "There she is."

I began walking toward where Vincent was standing and as I got closer to the crowd they began to part and make a path for me. I looked at Vincent quite confused to what was going on.

I stopped in front of him. "Vincent, what's going on? Why are all these people here?"

I turned back to look at him to find that he was nervously fidgeting with something in his pocket. He looked back at Yuffie, who had a large smile on her face and was nodding her head. He looked back at me and my legs almost turned to jelly when he got on one knee. Everyone in the crowd around us became deathly silent as they leaned in to see better.

He put his hand in his pocket and looked up at me. "We've known each other for only a few years but I feel like I've known you all my life. You were a friend to me when no one else would accept me and you were kind to me when no one else would be. Over the past few months we've grown closer then ever before and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Tifa Lockheart, will you marry me?" He pulled a small violet box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was a simple diamond ring. He took it out of the box and put it on my left ring finger.

I covered my mouth as my eyes began to tear up. I stared at the ring on my finger then at Vincent. I collapsed into his arms and squeezed him.

"Yes," I said, in between sobs. "Yes, I will."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and got up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and buried my face into his shirt. I looked up at him a few moments later and kissed him softly on the lips.

Yes, I love Vincent with all my heart and if it weren't for him being there for me when I needed him most, I probably wouldn't be celebrating the most wonderful day of my life with him. Our lives are just beginning; let's see where the road leads us.


End file.
